Like Cinnamon and Sugar
by Bill Hagridsson
Summary: Post OOtP, Harry refines his abilities and discovers a thing or two along the way.
1. Chapter 1: Outlines

**Disclaimer:** Nope. Still not mine. Dammit.

**Like cinnamon and sugar**

_-Growing up, the boy was allowed exactly one comfort food. Cinnamon & sugar toast. This was because it was the absolute cheapest thing they could think of. The other reason was, Vernon and Petunia had deducted that, in order to get a stubborn mule to pull it's load, you sometimes needed a carrot, as well as the stick. As a result, this taste was one of the few happy memories the boy ever had of his childhood. What childhood there was, that is.- _

Slowly, very slowly, eyelids fluttered open. It didn't seem to be a good idea to let the light in. There didn't seem to be much of it, at the moment. A little farther open now. It was quite dark in the room, except for the stars that could be seen through the window. The moon was visible from here, too, just a sliver in the sky. The eyelids were fully open now, pupils dilated, eyes looking around.

Slowly, sounds from outside started to filter in. A car passing by on the street. Snoring from down the hall. A cat meowing outside. Crickets chirping. A radio playing somewhere, very quietly.

Smells making themselves known. On the tongue, as well as to the nose. The ghost of a casserole from dinner a few hours earlier. The odor of cooked cabbage still drifting over from the neighbor's, like a fog. It almost overpowers everything else. Cooked too long apparently. Much too long. The faint scent of lilacs from under the window. Then, a perfume, almost spicy. Startling.

Nerve endings in the skin fire, sending sensations to the brain. The rough texture of very cheap sheets. _She'll_ never buy him any other kind. The soft feel of flannel pajamas. Those weren't his to begin with, so they're much softer, much nicer. The feel of the pillow on the back of his head. Oh, yes. The pain in the scar. Can't forget that, can we? Less than it was earlier in the evening, but still there.

Always there.

Harry Potter sat up in his bed at 4 Privet Drive, finished for now with his nightly meditation exercise. He had never believed in this particular discipline before last year. After his first few abortive attempts in the Divination classroom, he'd had no inclination to try it again. As the weeks after his return to the Dursleys' wore on, his nightmares had gotten worse, more vivid, more painful. The visions had come one after the other, all through the night.

The dreams were entirely too vivid and real. He would see them all in his dreams, all the ones who had died because of him. He would see his parents, Cedric, countless others. He could see all the people Voldemort had killed since he'd returned. He had seen them all, or so near as made no difference, in the visions his scar brought him. The scar that was his link with the Dark Lord.

Almost as bad was when he saw the ones who had been hurt because of him, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, too many others. The worst dreams, though, were the ones where he saw Sirius. There was one dream that recurred almost every night. It was the one that always woke him up, his throat raw from keeping the scream in. He saw Sirius, slowly tumbling through the veil. Over and over and over and over. The worst part about that one was the look on his godfather's face. It started out as surprise, and turned to one of terror, as he passed the veil. This was the image that was burned into his brain night after night.

Finally, he had sent Hedwig to Professor Dumbledore, with a request for Dreamless Sleep potion. She had returned a few days later, with an envelope and a small vial. In the envelope was a letter cautioning him not to use too much of it, and only when absolutely needed. It was very potent, and just a drop or two under the tongue should be all he would need. If he used it too often, he would need to use more every time, as his body built up a tolerance to it. Two drops went under his tongue that very night. He didn't feel much better the next day, but he was more rested.

The next day, his Aunt Petunia had him sort through a box of books she was going to donate to her church. As he looked through the romance novels, never opened cookbooks, primers, and fad diets, he found a book about East Indian meditation. The picture on the back of it seemed somewhat familiar to him, so he carefully put it to the side. The next time his aunt went outside to gossip with a neighbor, it was taken upstairs and deposited in his cache under the loose floorboard. He continued his sorting, as well as the usual long list of chores she had for him. That night, after the dinner dishes were washed, he took a flashlight under the covers with him, to read it. If he could help it, he wouldn't be sleeping that night anyway.

Within half an hour, he knew why the previous experiments hadn't worked. In the first chapter it said that, in order for it to work, a beginner had to work in an area as free from external distractions as possible. As the student progressed, the surroundings wouldn't matter as much. However, Harry suspected that even the most practiced mystic would have had difficulties meditating in Sibyll Trelawney's tower room, with it's incense, flickering candles, and stifling heat.

He tried it that night for the first time. He started by ensuring that there was nothing in the room that would distract him. Not hard to do, really, as his aunt and uncle had made very sure he was never given anything not absolutely necessary. He had Dudley's hand-me-down clothes, as well as all of the cast-off or broken toys his lump of a cousin didn't want anymore. All he had to worry about were his school things, putting away his books for now, and turning the occasional wizarding picture toward the wall, so the movement wouldn't distract him.

He lay down in a comfortable position, as the book had advised. His arms were to his sides, his head on his pillow. He first concentrated on his breathing, maintaining a regular rythym. Deep breaths, in and out, in and out. He next focused on each part of his body, starting with his feet, trying, as the book had said, to picture tension leaving him. He envisioned it as the gutter that ran around the eaves of the house. Tension running through the gutter, being funneled to somewhere else, so it could drain from him. Next were his legs, letting the muscles relax, feeling the stress leave his body. By the time he had worked his way to the top of his body and out, almost seeing the tension run away from his fingertips, he was almost totally physically relaxed.

His mind, on the other hand, was a completely different matter. As was usually the case for the young wizard, his mind seemed to be racing along at a hundred miles per hour. There were too many things chasing each other's tails for him to be able to shut them all out now. The dreams he'd had, the guilt he felt for everyone who had been hurt because of him, the worries he felt for his friends, not having seen them yet this summer. He'd had letters, but they were the same sort of vague missives he had been sent the previous summer. He suspected they were at Grimmauld Place, but of course, he'd had no confirmation. The only real acknowledgement he'd had of the wizarding world at all, since he'd gotten off the Hogwarts Express was the fact that he'd heard the people on guard duty outside. It was only occasionally, and just at night. He knew that one of his guards was Tonks. The metamorphmagus was brilliant at blending in with a crowd, but only if she was able to stand completely still. The moment she had to move, she gave the game away with her poor coordination. Poor didn't even really cover it. Abysmal was a better word, really.

Harry realized that his mind was no clearer or at peace than it had been since he'd started. All these thoughts of friends were keeping him from clearing his mind.

A near photographic memory could be a curse at times, but at others, could be a blessing. Luckily, even with everything that was going through his mind, he was able to search through, and remember the techniques that had been detailed in the first chapter.

He cast around for one thing to focus on. Flying was no good, as it just reminded him of the fact that, because of the ban imposed on him in his last year, he would no longer be able to fly his Firebolt. The broom had been given to him by Sirius, whose death he was still trying to come to terms with. That would just lead to more guilt, more self-recriminations. He thought about getting back on the Hogwarts Express. This could be better. except that he would again see the people he had put in danger. More guilt. Damn! Faces started to float into view now, Ron, with the scars from his encounter with the brains from the tank. Hermione, with that awful slash across her chest.

Then Ginny's face came into focus. There was, strangely, no guilt associated with her. Actually, there was a niggle of something, but he couldn't determine what it was. It was just outside where he could see it. She _had _gone with him on that ill-fated journey, that was true. But, if the whole truth be known, she had all but forced him into accepting her decision to go. She had also been much less severely injured than the others, so he felt a bit easier about her.

Now he focused just on her face, allowing her to force all other thoughts from his mind. One by one, the others seemed to drop off, losing importance. As each one fell away, her face seemed a bit more solid, more real. She also seemed to take on a glow, that intensified as the rest diminished. By the time there was nobody else impinging on his awareness, the glow had seemed to settle around her, like an outline on a picture. The outline was a more intense version of the color of her hair. It seemed palpable to his other senses, as well. Cinnamon & sugar/velvet/ruby was the only way his mind could express it. It was almost something he could reach out and touch, taste, the scent wafting to his nose.

Just then, a loud noise outside startled him, and before he knew it, he was halfway to his feet, wand in hand. Just in time, it registered as being just the backfire of a passing car, and he forced himself back down to the bed. The wand back on his bedside stand, he pondered the interrupted exercise. He hadn't quite achieved what he had set out to do, but had gotten a good start on it. The one thing that surprised him was whose face had allowed him to achieve what he had. Until just recently, Harry had never seen her as anything more than the little sister of his best friend. Over the past few months, however, she had really started to come into her own. He remembered how startled he had been to see her for the young woman she was growing into. He'd been told by Hermione that Ginny had told her that she'd given up on him. He had felt a bit relieved at that, but a little saddened, as well. He hadn't given it much thought lately, but those conflicting feelings had confused him at the time.

Now, two weeks after he had started meditating, he was getting much better at it. He was at the point where he could shut off input from his senses, as he entered a meditative state. It made for much easier concentration.

He had also found out a few other things that had helped him in his meditations, as well as with occlumency. For his birthday, Hermione had sent him a book (what else, really?) about mind control and reading methods, as well as ways to fight them. The most important thing he had discovered was a technique that should have been taught to him before he even attempted to practice keeping somebody out of his mind. It involved retreating inside yourself and picturing yourself building a wall around you. It had to be pieced together brick by brick, until you were completely encased in the wall. It was an exhausting process, as you expended the same energy as you would as if doing the same thing physically. Once it was done, however, it could be almost impervious. This depended, of course, on the strength of the witch or wizard. There were many who couldn't do this, as they lacked the strength of will. To anybody who could survive in the atmosphere Harry had been brought up in, though, stubborness was something ingrained. It was a part of his very nature. He had completed the wall his first night, then fallen into a slumber that had lasted two full days. After the fact, he worried that he would be noticed for breaking the restrictions on underage magic usage. He had fretted over this for a couple of days, until he came across another passage in the book that explained that, while magic was definitely being used, it was all internal. Thus, no sign would show, to alert any watcher.

Harry got up from the bed to look out the window. He wanted to see if he could spot who his guardian for the night was. As he cast his eyes around, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, next to the shrubbery separating the Dursley's yard from their neighbors. He looked over that way, letting his eyes unfocus, and caught a faint glimmer of silver. That would be Remus Lupin. He was under an invisibility cloak, but that wouldn't hide the outlines that Harry had found he could sense around most people. Not everybody had these outlines, but there were enough that he had learned to differentiate between them. The sense he got of Remus was that of leather/paper/silver. So far, the only one he had sensed a multicolored one around was Tonks. She was sharp citrus/stone/rainbow. The impressions he would get from people were confusing, and something he would have to talk to Professor Dumbledore about, when the fall term began. Maybe he could get a straight answer from the old man on this, at least. If nothing else, it would be interesting to see what the headmaster's aura looked like.

The young wizard lay back down, wondering again how Ginny's face could be the only one that could help to keep everything at bay. Attempting to puzzle this out, he drifted into the first real sleep he had really had in quite a while.

The next morning, he awoke a bit earlier than his usual, to a tapping on his window. He put his glasses on and slipped quickly across the room, to open the window. A small fidgety owl flitted into thde room, seeming to bounce about on air currents only he could feel. Harry spent the better part of ten minutes trying to get hold of Pig, Ron's scops owl. Finally, Hedwig took pity on her master, and gave Pig a short but decidedly quelling hoot, and the flighty little owl landed on the bedside table.

"Bloody little idiot. Thanks, Hedwig." Finally able to get to the letter, the young wizard untied it, and indicated the glass of water that was sitting there. "Go ahead and have a drink, you little twit, while I read this." He opened it, and saw neat handwriting he didn't recognize, in a pink script.

_Dear Harry,_

_I hope your summer is going well. As well as can be expected, at any rate. Those horrid muggles better be treating you right. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't like a bat-bogey now, would they?_

Harry laughed at this. Just the thought of the expression on the face of any of the Dursleys as their own nasal mucus came flying out of their nostrils and attacking them was a happy enough thought to sustain him for quite a while.

_Hermione got here about a week ago, and she and Ron are driving me round the bend. I swear, if I have to listen to them bicker for much longer, I'll soon be haunting toilets with Moaning Myrtle. When will they admit they fancy each other, and let the rest of us have some peace? Maybe when you get here, we can get together and swap ideas on how to handle them._

He knew exactly what she meant, and had a few notions on how things could be resolved.

_I know that you're probably sitting there blaming yourself for everything, especially Sirius. STOP IT! Not your fault. That's all I'll say in a letter, but we will have a talk about this when I see you._

Harry was taken aback by this, but for some reason, couldn't take offense at Ginny saying it. Maybe it was because she took such a direct line, rather than hemming and hawing around it, like Ron and Hermione. He knew the two of them were only trying to help, having his best interests at heart, but it still got on his nerves a bit. Okay, a lot.

_That brings me to the reason my mum asked me to write you (Besides the fact that Ron's writing could give anyone headaches, and you get quite enough of those, thank you). Mum and I will be there on Friday, around five o'clock, to bring you to the Burrow, for the rest of the summer. Make sure you're ready, as Mum really doesn't want to have to worry about bat-bogeys carousing around Privet Drive. Her words, not mine. As well, I'm sure you'll want to be out of there as quickly as possible, right? We'll see you Friday._

_Love,_

_Ginny_

_ps. tell the muggles not to worry, as we'll have a car for tomorrow. No floo powder this time._

_G_

Harry shuddered, remembering the wrath he had suffered when he had returned after his fourth year. Vernon had been extremely upset (maybe pissed would be a better word) about the way the male Weasleys had entered, using the boarded up fireplace, sending splinters, ash and boards across the room. Arthur had cleaned up the mess, and repaired everything, but that hadn't mattered to Vernon.

The young wizard had a thought that made him grin. If Vernon and Petunia thought that they would have a better time of it with the Weasley women, they had a big surprise coming. Ginny and Molly, especially, were fiercely protective of Harry. Molly saw him as one of her own, and no mother lion was ever more ferocious in protecting her young. Ginny, on the other hand, had been a member of the DA the previous year, and had done quite well. She was also very quick to come to the defense of her friends. The confrontation the next day should prove to be quite interesting indeed.

Pig was starting to look a bit restless, so Harry told him to settle down for a bit, while he wrote out a quick reply.

_Dear Ginny,_

_I can hardly wait to see everybody tomorrow. The muggles have been alright, I suppose. Moody must've given my uncle more of a scare than I realized, as he's let my aunt 'deal with' me all summer so far. At least she only gives me inside chores to do, and I'm usually in bed not later than one AM, so that's better than the usual. _

_I look forward to the talk we'll have. I have a few things to say, to everybody. Don't worry, I won't explode on everybody or anything. Just some things I found out after everything happened last year. _

_As to Ron and Hermione, you are absolutely right. Their arguing, while entertaining at times, and almost always inventive, has got to stop. I don't know how many times I had to grab my cloak and escape, just to get a chance to hear myself think. We will definitely have to put our heads together over this._

_I'll be counting the hours until tomorrow night. It'll be brilliant to have one of your mum's dinners again. That's one of the things I've missed most this summer. By the way, good thinking on somebody's part, about the car. I really don't want to have to deal with my uncle over a 'destroyed' wall in the sitting room, again._

_See you tomorrow. I'll be ready well before five._

_Love,_

_Harry_

He tied the letter to the leg of the little scops owl, and carried him over to the window. "Alright you little git, get home with you now."

Harry was feeling much more optimistic about the rest of the holidays, as he watched Pig fly off.


	2. Chapter 2: Time to go

**Disclaimer:** What...do you think the ownership situation has changed? Not bloody likely. I offered her ultimate power, immortality, and every other tuesday, sharing a house-elf. I have never heard such derisive laughter in my life. Apparently, Ms Rowling didn't think those things were mine to offer. So...who spilled the beans?

**Time to go:**

For Harry, it seemed as if five o'clock would never arrive. He had risen early, to make sure he had everything packed and ready to go. The cache was emptied, it's contents packed away in his trunk along with his spellbooks, quills, ink, and everything else he needed. The only exception was his Firebolt. The broom, as far as he knew, was still locked up at Hogwarts. His aunt had pretty much left him alone today, so he had spent much of the day in his room, in meditation. He'd found that it could be a very useful way to pass time. By the time four o'clock came around, though, he was climbing the walls. He decided to step outside for a bit, as it was a nice day. Sitting on the steps, he noticed a multicolored outline out of the corner of his eye.

Looking straight at her, he very quietly said, "Wotcher, Tonks. How are you, today?"

Just as quietly came the reply. "Bugger! How'd you know I was here, Harry? I haven't knocked anything over today."

"A guy has to have a _couple_ secrets, right? By the way, did anybody let you know I was going to the Burrow in about an hour?"

"Secrets. I'll give ya secrets. Here I thought you loved me, Harry." she teased.

"Only madly and deeply, Tonks." he said with a grin.

"They told us last night that you were going. I'm looking forward to more of Molly's cooking."

"You and me both, Nympha..."

"_What_ have I told you about that? It's _Tonks,_ got it? And quit with the laughing, or you'll have the neighbors thinking you're a nutter."

He snorted. "They already do. My _loving uncle_ tells the neighbors I go to St Brutus' School for the Damaged or some damn thing."

"He doesn't! You can't be serious." The indignation in her voice was obvious.

"Don't worry about it, Tonks. I'm used to it. Just part of the _pleasure_ of living here, I guess." Harry shrugged and said, "Only one more year til I never have to return here. Ever." He looked at his watch and stood, brushing himself off. He murmured, "I'd better get back inside and make sure I don't leave anything behind. They should be here soon. See you later, Tonks."

"Alright then, Harry."

He went back up to his room and opened the window. He took Hedwig over to it and told her, "Meet me at the Burrow. I'll be there later tonight, okay?" The snowy owl gave his finger an affectionate nip and flew off gracefully. He watched her soar away, and wished he could fly, too. As he headed back downstairs, he heard a knock at the door. He saw his uncle get to the door and swing it abruptly open.

"Yes?" he demanded. Harry heard a very familiar voice say, "Hello, I'm Molly Weasley. We're here to pick Harry up. Is he ready?"

_"Oh._ More of _those_ people, eh? Well, get in here and get him then. I don't have all day to muck about with _your kind."_ Vernon's voice was almost dripping with disgust. "I'll not have any _more_ of you _freaks_ in here for any longer than necessary."

By this time Harry had reached the bottom of the stairs, furious. "Excuse me, _Vernon._ We need to talk." He had his wand out now, and was so mad that it was starting to spit red sparks.

"Harry, if you don't mind, dear, I will deal with your uncle. If you would get your trunk, the girls will help you get it to the car."

He turned, and was surprised to see Hermione had come along. She and Ginny had their wands out as well. Molly saw this and said, "All three of you outside, while Mr _Dursley_ and I have a short talk." As they walked out the door, Harry noticed that she was casting a silencing charm on the door.

They got the trunk to the car and in put away in short order. He finally greeted both girls, getting huge smiles and even bigger hugs in return.

Hermione asked, "How are you Harry? Feeling alright?" She peered at him, apparently trying to guage his condition.

"I'm fine, Hermione." She started to say something, but he interrupted. "Really, 'Mione. I'm a lot better than I was at end of term. I've even got all my homework done, but I would appreciate it if you would just take a look at it. Proofread it, so to speak."

The bushy-haired girl looked a bit doubtful, but as she looked at him, she saw the spark in his eyes that had been missing after they had returned from the Ministry that night. She smiled at him and nodded, saying, "We just care about you and we worry. Is that alright?"

He smiled back at her and said, "Yes, just don't be such a pain about it." and hugged her again, to take away any sting in his words.

Ginny looked thoughtfully at the door to number 4, and mused, "I wonder what's taking Mum so long..."

As soon as the children were outside, Molly put a silencing charm on the door, and rounded on Vernon Dursley. The normally sweet woman was gone, replaced by a lioness, faced with a threat to her cubs. The voice she now used was usually only heard in one of her howlers.

"How _DARE_ you call anyone a freak? The only freaks I see in this house are the maladjusted, petty, parsimonious, overbearing, disgraces for human beings that wear the name of _Dursley!"_

"Now see here..."

_"No,_ you overweight, idiotic, pompous, horse's _arse_! You see _here_! You have had, under your roof for the past sixteen years, the sweetest, most well-behaved, humble, loyal, and intelligent boy who has ever had the misfortune to meet you! In spite of everything you have probably done to him, he still won't see you harmed. When his godfather heard about you, he almost came here to kill you himself. I'm almost sorry I stopped him, now. Do you have any _idea_ how many people want your guts for garters, right now? Personally, I doubt you can even count that high."

Vernon paled, sputtering, "I don't know what that boy has told you, but..."

_"That boy,_ as you call him, has a name. Harry. Learn how to say it, or so help me..." The threat hung in the air. "As for what he's told any of us, I doubt it's a tenth of what you've done to him. I have seven children of my own, and I know when they're not telling me everything. I've had that sense from Harry for a long time now, but I've left it alone out of respect for his feelings. Maybe I was wrong in that, but I will have a talk with him about this soon. I've always told Albus this was the wrong place for him. I didn't know how right I was until now." She started towards the door, then stopped, with a considering look on her face. "I've been trying to think what to do with you, but have been at a loss, until now." She pointed her wand at him with a quick _'Immobilius'._ He was now completely immobilized. She muttered a slightly more complicated incantation. "The spell I've just cast will ensure that you never have the ability to harm anyone, ever again. If you raise your voice in anger, it will disappear completely, for twenty-four hours. If you try to strike another person, or try to harm anyone physically in any way, your coordination will disappear, and you will miss completely. If you try again within a day, you will lose any control over your muscles, including your bowels. In short, try anything, and things will get very messy, very quickly. Goodbye, now." With a quickly muttered _'Ennervate',_ she was out the door.

Molly walked to the car, her face still flushed. She got in and asked, "Everyone ready?" At the affirmative answers from all three teenagers, she started the car and drove away. They still had a fairly long drive, and she had everything ready for a virtual feast, once they got to the Burrow. Hermione sat up front with her and Harry and Ginny were in the back.

Harry spoke up, asking, "Erm...Mrs Weasley...is everything alright?"

She glanced into the mirror at his worried eyes. "Yes dear, everything is quite alright, as a matter of fact. Your uncle just needed a few facts of life explained to him."

"But..."

"Don't worry, dear. He's fine. No real lasting damage to him, as long as he exercises a bit of self-control."

Ginny started to giggle, getting a clue to what had happened. At Harry's questioning look, she explained. "Remember, in your first year, when Ron got the howler from Mum, after that fiasco with the car?" He nodded, and she continued. "If I'm not mistaken, your uncle just got an up close and personal version. Believe me, they're embarassing in a crowded room, but devastating in person." She thought for a moment, then a look of realization dawned on her face. "Mum, did you do what you did to Mr Olson, when you found out about his daughter?" At her mum's curt nod, her look changed to one of agreement. "The only thing for it, really."

Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks. He asked, "Care to explain to those of us who don't know that story?"

Ginny looked to her mother for permission, and got a nod in the mirror. She thought about how much to tell. "About five years ago, just before I left for school, Mum and Dad heard about a man in the village who was very abusive to his entire family. He beat his wife, verbally abused his daughters, and beat them, hit his sons all the time, and was a drunk on top of it. He drank his paychecks away, every week. His children were all forced to leave school, so they could pay the rent, and support him. One of his daughters, Emily, had gotten engaged, as she was pregnant with the boy's child. She really did love him, though. They were to be married soon, so the child wouldn't be illegitimate, in their eyes at least. When he found out, he beat her so bad she lost the child, and was paralyzed as well. Mum found out, and spent the next two weeks coming up with a new spell." The cute redhead explained the effects of the spell, to her amazed friends. Their looks turned to ones of awe.

At the next stop sign, Molly turned slightly in her seat and said, "With that spell, he will completely lose the ability to harm anyone, if not the will. Harry, if you don't want to tell us everything right now that went on there, that's up to you. Please believe me though, when I say that you will have to talk to someone about it. It will be better for you in the long run. I also believe that you weren't the only one he took his temper out on. Somebody like that would want as many targets as possible." She paused a moment. "Whatever you do tell may also benefit your cousin and aunt. I know there's no love lost between you and them, but it would be one less thing to trouble you, I believe." She turned back to the front, and drove away from the intersection. Ginny placed a hand over Harry's to show him her support. She kept her eyes averted, and was about to pull her hand away, when she was surprised to feel his hand turn and his finger close over hers. She looked up at him, uncertain what this could mean. Her eyes met his intense green ones, and he smiled and said, "Thank you." Their hands stayed like that for most of the drive.

As the car had driven away from Privet Drive, a slightly stunned Nymphadora Tonks had emerged from number 4. Tonks had followed Molly into the house, under cover of the invisibility cloak. She had witnessed the lecture Vernon had received, as well as the spell that had been placed on him. She made a mental note to never cross Molly Weasley, while she walked a couple streets over to the park nearby, before apparating to headquarters. She quickly hunted up Remus Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody, the only ones currently there, and told them the story. The resulting laughter was even enough to drown out the screams of the demented portrait of Mrs Black.

A couple of hours later, the car pulled up in front of the Burrow, and Molly and her passengers had all climbed out. The two girls wouldn't even let Harry take his trunk inside, as they whisked it away. He stood there for a moment, bemused, until Molly came around to the back of the car, to give him one of her trademark hugs. When she released him, she had a very motherly look of concern in her eyes. "How are you, dear? Did they feed you at all?" Her eyes traveled the length of him, as she tutted over the state of his clothes. "We really need to get you some clothes that fit. I don't believe you've ever had clothes that fit,"

He laughed quietly. "No, I don't think I ever have. I'm fine, Mrs Weasley, thanks. I really am. Not great, but I think I'm getting there. As to the clothes, maybe we could take a quick side trip into muggle London, when we go to Diagon Alley for school supplies."

She considered the suggestion. "Not a bad idea. We'll have to see who can be spared to keep an eye out." Harry looked like he was going to protest, so she continued. "They'll only be there in case something happens, and will be unobtrusive. And call me Molly. I told Hermione the same thing, as well. Now, let's get you inside, and get you fed. You really don't look as though they've fed you at all. Grapefruit. _Really."_

Harry surrendered to the inevitable, and walked through the front door. He took a look around. This place actually felt like a home, unlike that sterile place he had existed in, for a bit under six weeks this time. You could tell that a family lived here, not a small collection of people that happened to have the same last name. He saw the Twins sitting at the table, earnestly discussing something with Ginny, who seemed to be amused, but somehow shocked. Molly was bending to give Arthur a kiss in greeting. He didn't see Ron amd Hermione until he'd sat down at the table in the kitchen. They came down the stairs, arguing about something. Harry looked over at Ginny, raising on eyebrow. When she showed him a slightly confused look, he jerked his head in the direction of the approaching pair. She understood then, and they both laughed, shaking their heads. Just then, the other two sat down at the table, still arguing.

Ron looked over then and said to Harry, "Alright then, Harry? Good summer, so far? ermm...I mean..." His voice trailed off as Hermione hit him on the back of the head. That was too much for Harry and Ginny, and they broke out in laughter. Ron was obviously glad to see his best mate laughing, but was a bit annoyed that the laughter was apparently at his expense. He crossed his arms and sat back, obviously not sure how to deal with this quandary. To solve the problem, he turned to his old standby. "Mum, will dinner be ready soon?"

Hermione muttered, "I swear, Ron. Is your stomach all you think about? Or do you think _with_ it?", and they were off again.

Harry got up, saying to Ginny, "I think I'll go outside for a bit, before these two drive me barmy." He walked around to the back of the house, towards the pond. It was good to be back in a place he actually thought of as home. Sitting down on the end of the old pier jutting into the lake, he looked up at the stars, watching them sparkle overhead. At this moment, he felt better, more at peace, than he had in a long while. After a few minutes, he heard soft footsteps, making their way slowly through the grass behind him, then their tread on the boards under him. Looking over his shoulder, the teenage wizard saw Ginny, her auburn tresses a nimbus around her face. She was looking up at the stars, as he had been. Harry let his eyes unfocus, and saw/felt the same thing again, cinnamonsugar/velvet/ruby. It took him by surprise, the intensity of what he felt now. It was overpowering to him. After all, this was Ginny, his best mate's little sister! He had never thought of her in _that_ way. Truth be known, he wasn't even sure what _that_ way was. The only girl he had ever really had feelings for previously was Cho Chang. That hadn't turned out well at all. He felt no enmity towards Cho, and in fact, hoped that she was happy. He just knew the two of them wouldn't work well together.

"Earth to Harry, anybody home?" With a giggle, Ginny sat down next to him. "Something wrong?"

Startled from his reverie, he shook his head and said, "Not really. Just didn't expect anyone else to come out here, that's all. So, how's your summer been?"

"Apart from the gruesome twosome's bickering, not bad at all. I swear, they'd drive a saint to murder. Any ideas on how to deal with them?"

"Well, we can't have you hiding in the girl's toilet with Myrtle, once we get back to school, so we'd better think of something quick." He thought a moment. "How about locking them up in your dad's shed, until they work it out?"

"It'd be brilliant, except for all the sharp implements. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the one to clean up the mess afterwards."

"Good point. We'll have to see what we can come up with." The two of them lay back on the pier, just looking up at the stars, neither wanting to break the comfortable silence. After a while, Harry cleared his throat.

"Erm...Ginny, I'd just like to say, well, thank you,"

"For what, Harry?" She was on her side, head propped on her hand, with a curious look on her face.

"Well, everything, I guess. You believed me, and followed me to the Ministry. You put yourself in harm's way, because of me. You were also the only one to come right out and say what everyone else has been thinking. And for worrying about me. You've been a great friend. I know I haven't treated you the best, over the past few years. I've just never taken the chance to get to know you the way I should have. You're really quite a remarkable person, you know."

Ginny was glad it was dark out, as that would hide most of the blush she knew was rising in her cheeks. She had spent a lot of time and effort quashing the crush she'd had on Harry. Unbeknownst to anyone save herself, as she had watched him struggle through the previous year, the feelings she had for him had turned to something else. They had developed into a very deep love, born of the admiration she had for all the qualities she saw in him. She saw how much he cared about people, how protective he would become, his loyalty, his sense of humor, and his fierce sense of honor. Those emerald green eyes didn't help matters much, either. Every time he turned them on her, and flashed that grin of his, it was like getting hit with a jelly-legs curse, only on her entire body.

"Harry, you don't need to thank me for that, but you're welcome. As for us getting to know each other better, it probably would have helped if I hadn't squeaked and disappeared every time you spoke to me, or looked my way. Maybe by the time we get back to school, we'll have had that chance."

"I hope so, Ginny, I really do." He shook his head now. "If nothing else, we'll need to cooperate on getting those two idiots together, or find a way to hide the bodies."

They shared a laugh at this, interrupted when Molly called them in to dinner. Harry was up first, and offered Ginny a hand up. As she stood, she hugged him for a moment, and feeling brave, gave him a peck on the cheek. It was like a small shock ran through that spot, and he was still marveling over this new sensation as she turned and said with a grin, "Race you back!" She was only a few steps ahead of him, but he still couldn't manage to catch up as they ran to the house.

Out of breath, they walked in the door and headed for the table. Right away, they saw that Ron and Hermione were arguing, probably the same argument from earlier, as they didn't seem to have moved from their places. Harry and Ginny traded a look of disgust, and he said, "Planning session, tomorrow. Ok?" She nodded, and they both went to the table.

The table groaned with all the food that was set out. There was roast beef, roasted chickens, all kinds of vegetables, potatoes, biscuits, and just about anything else you could think of. In short, a typical dinner at the Weasley house. The noise around the table was incredible, with a myriad of conversations going on, all at once. Harry had caught a few glances thrown his way, as just about everyone wanted to make sure he was alright. Earlier in the summer, he probably would have gotten quite shirty about this, thinking that everybody viewed him as some sort of fragile object about to break. Now though, he knew that it was simply their way of looking out for him, as they would do for each other. He finally knew what it felt like to be a part of a family.

After dinner, Harry, Ron and Hermione went out to the sitting room, to let dinner digest, and talk awhile. Harry looked up, and saw Ginny in the doorway. He called out to her, "Hey, Ginny, come over and join us." She looked surprised to be invited, and hesitated a moment. "Come on, I don't bite. Even if I did, I've had my shots." This was said with a grin to the youngest Weasley.

"You'd better not. Mum would get upset if we had to have you put down, to check for rabies."

Ron and Hermione both wore stunned looks as they watched the teasing between the other two. Hermione's turned to one of thoughtfulness, trying to figure out what was going on between them, while Ron's went smug for just a moment. He managed to clear his expression before Harry and Ginny saw him.

Ginny sat down next to Harry and said, "Alright then, Harry. We're glad to see how much better you are since summer started. How'd it happen? Somebody knock some sense into you or something?"

Hermione and Ron both gasped, amazed at her bluntness. Harry chuckled at the question, as well as the looks on the other pair's faces.

"Do you realize how few people would ask me a question like that? Pretty refreshing, that is. Actually, I found out a few things over the past few weeks that helped out a lot." He explained everything he had discovered concerning meditation, occlumency, shield-building, and all the rest of it. The only thing he didn't mention was the outlines he had seen around people. He wanted to check into this a bit more, just to make sure this wasn't another of those things related to Voldemort, like being able to speak Parseltongue. He didn't think it was, as this seemed a much more benign gift. With the way that people had reacted to some of his other abilities, though, it was best to make sure.

"Once I started meditating, I was able to think about everything in a much more objective light. That's when I realized that, though Sirius would certainly want to be missed, he wouldn't want me to throw everything away for grief. What he would want is for me to enjoy my life, as much as I possibly could. I also finally saw that, even though I'm not completely blameless in all of this, the fault should be placed where it really belongs, with the Dark Moron and his idiots." His face took on a very determined look. "There is absolutely no way in hell that I am going to allow some Darth Vader wannabe to run my life." Hermione burst out in laughter at the statement, but the other two were baffled. The muggle-born girl explained the movie reference, and they nodded, not really understanding. Harry thought that he would have to see if he could find a way to get a VCR and a TV to work off of magic. He had never had a chance to just sit and enjoy watching a movie, especially without Dudley ruining the experience.

They sat aound for a while just relaxing, discussing what had gone on over the summer so far, as well as the Cannon's chances for the season. As usual, they looked pretty bleak. After a while, Harry found that he was having trouble keeping his eyes open, and excused himself to retire for the night.

As he settled into bed, one thought was foremost in his mind. It was good to be home.

**A/N:** Well, as you can tell by now, the plot ferrets have returned. They brought friends this time. Little buggers. Anybody know of a good ferret repellent? No? Urgh... Oh well. I'm gratified to see the response so far to this story. I can only hope you continue to enjoy it. Anybody who has also been following my other ongoing fic, Perspective, don't worry, I haven't forgotten it. I will be going back to it in a few days, once a bit more of this one is posted. I have more chapters written for this one already, just not typed out yet. At the moment, they're written on a little blackboard in the back of my head. Just gotta get em out of there, and onto the screen. I'm also working on ch26 for Perspective, so it's a bit busy in there right now. On top of that, I'm also helping my wife write her first fic. No commetns about the blind leading the blind, thank you very much. Good job there's plenty of room in there, eh?

Jaquelyne: Thank you very much, milady. _:::deep sweeping bow:::_ Coming from such as yourself, that is high praise, indeed. I always look forward to more of your stories, specially the Bedtime ones. _:::gentle hint:::_ I know what a busy schedule you have, and truly do look forward to your updates. Worth the wait, they are.

Caddy94: Glad ya like it. It's been fun to write, and both will be updated soon.

GiGiFanFic: Thank you as always, love. Your encouragement continues to spur me along. I look forward to seeing your story. Tell the git he's got a lot of nerve, trying to overshadow you that way.

Lady of the Dragons2: Love the nic, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope it turns out as well as I think it will.


	3. Chapter 3: Confessions

**Disclaimer:** My plot ferrets say this is all mine. The lawyer's attack ferrets on the other hand, say it's not. So, who ya gonna believe? Well, fine then. Side with them why dontcha... _:::grumble grumble grumble:::_

**Confessions:**

Harry had been installed in Percy's old room, as Ron's older brother was still being a prat, and would likely have no use of it for quite a while. This was fine for Harry, as it meant that he was able to practice his meditation for a bit when he awoke, without being disturbed. As he allowed his senses to reconnect themselves, the young wizard took in the sights, sounds, and smells that confirmed that he was back in the Burrow. He saw the pale walls around him, very plain really, due to the previous occupant. Harry couldn't help thinking that it matched the drab, somewhat supercillious personality Percy showed everyone. He could hear, too, the quiet tread of somebody walking past his room, probably Ginny, whose room was next to his. This brought him to the awareness that he was laying on top of his sheets in nothing but a pair of very worn boxers, in a house where everybody had the tendency to knock, then enter. The knock was more of a formality really, around here. At this thought, he got up and put on his robe, getting ready to head to the loo for his shower. Harry looked out the window to see what the weather was like. It looked gorgeous outside, the sun high in the sky, just a few wispy clouds. Just as he turned away, he saw a rainbow shimmer surrounding a form out by the garden. That would be Tonks, still on guard.

Just then, his bladder decided to get his attention, and he thought he'd better take heed. Luckily, the bathroom was unoccupied, and he was able to get his morning ablutions out of the way quickly. As he walked back to his room, still trying to get his untidy mop of hair to behave, he became aware of the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. This spurred him into hurrying back to his room to get dressed, so he could enjoy Molly's cooking all the quicker.

As he made his way down the stairs to the kitchen he heard voices raised in bickering. Of course, before he even entered the room, he knew it had to be Ron and Hermione. This was really getting quite ridiculous. He said his good mornings to everyone, with a kiss on the cheek from Molly, and shot Ginny a questioning look, jerking his head towards the other two. She looked back at him with an expression of sheer frustration, and mouthed to him, "An hour and a half, so far."

He shook his head back at her in sympathy and said, "We'll get together later and see what we can come up with. Otherwise, they're liable to get tossed out of the window in Gryffindor Tower." She giggled in return, and this caught the attention of the arguing pair. They both looked up, obviously surprised that they hadn't even noticed he had joined them.

"Harry! Good mornin, mate! Sleep good?" Ron asked as he shoveled a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"Not bad at all, thanks. Looks like a beautiful day out there. Wish I could do a little flying around and enjoy it."

"Maybe you could try one of the extra brooms in the shed out there. None of 'em are Firebolts, but it'd be something, anyway."

Harry turned to Hermione now. "Alright there, 'Mione?"

"I'd be a little bit better off, if _someone_," with a dark look at Ron, "wasn't trying to spend the whole holiday trying to copy my homework. Other than that, it's been great, Harry."

Knowing that he'd better try something to head off the next round of Ron _vs_ Hermione, he asked, "Molly? When do you think we could get that trip to London together?"

Grateful for the diversion, she replied, "I'm not sure, dear. We'd have to talk to a few Order members, to make sure we have some cover. Can't take any risks, with everything that's been going on."

"Well, why don't you start by asking Tonks? She's out by the garden right now."

They all looked at him in surprise. "Tonks? What's she doing here? How in the world do you know that?" was the question from Hermione.

"Well...erm..I heard her crash into something after I got up. As for what she's here for, I suppose the same as she was doing at Privet Drive. Guard duty." It was his turn to start shoveling his breakfast into his mouth, this time to give himself time to think about his gaffe. _Bugger, _he thought, _shouldn't've said anything._

Hermione was giving him a considering look, as if she was trying to work out the details. Knowing her, she probably was, and just might do so. He might have to say something before too long. The young wizard knew that his friends hated being out of the loop as much as he himself did.

Molly stuck her head out the kitchen window and called out, "Tonks! Are you out there, dear?"

They quite clearly heard a muttered, "Bloody hell. How does everybody know where I am all of a sudden? Might as well not even have this damn cloak." As she muttered, they heard her coming up the path to the door. As she got there, she looked around the room and asked, "Alright. Who was it spilled the beans? I know I didn't knock anything over yet this morning. That's why I was by the garden. Nothing to hurt out there but the gnomes."

They all looked at Harry again, who had started to choke on a piece of toast as she spoke. He washed it down with a swallow of pumpkin juice, as he tried to buy himself a little more time. When he looked back up, the expressions he saw on their faces said it was clearly time to start explaining.

"Alright. I seem to have found an ability I didn't know I had. I can see these, erm, outlines I guess, around people. I can see them even if they're hidden. When I looked out the window this morning, I saw the one around Tonks. I always know it's her, even when she has the cloak on. I didn't want to say anything yet, because I wasn't sure about..." He trailed off at this point, unable to think how to finish the sentence.

Hermione asked, with a hurt look in her eyes, "Us? You weren't sure about us? I thought you trusted us Harry." As the others chimed in on this, Harry interrupted them all.

"Hold on. Remember, back in second year, when we found out I could talk to snakes?" Hermione and Ron traded slightly guilty looks. "Yeah, that's it exactly. I didn't know if this was because of the link I have with Voldemort, or what it was. I wanted to talk to Dumbledore, first. I was going to tell you, all of you, but I wanted slightly more information to work with."

At this, Tonks sank into a chair by the table, snatching a piece of toast. "Well that's a relief. Here I was, thinking the cloak was defective. I was going to give Mad-Eye seven kinds of bloody hell about the cloak not working right."

This broke the tension that had started to develop, and everybody chuckled over this. Ron asked, "What do these outlines look like?"

"Well, it's more of a combination of smell or taste, feel, and color. For Tonks here, it's sharp citrus, stone, and rainbow."

"How about Mum?"

Harry looked at Molly, letting his eyes unfocus. "Hmmm...lemon, marble, and green." He looked at Ron the same way, and said, "For you, blueberry, clay, and orange. Hermione, you'd be lilac, paper, and bright blue."

Ron asked, "Well, what about Ginny, then?"

"Cinnamon and sugar, velvet, and ruby." He didn't need to turn to look at the cute redhead to know this, and was just a shade too quick to say it.

Ron was a bit suspicious at the ready answer. "Hang on. How d'you know that already? You didn't even look at her."

Harry buried his head in his hands, knowing he was well and truly caught. "Yeah. About that. Remember last night, when I told you about the meditation I've been doing, and how I had to focus on just one thing, in order to get the rest to drop away?" The others nodded, realizing that a vital detail had been left out of that description. "Well, the only thing I could focus on that would make everything else go away was Ginny's face. I know this sounds a bit strange, but nothing else would work. But, as soon as I focused on her, everything else fell into place." He looked toward the girl in question, and saw a look he couldn't quite fathom. This was something the two of them would have to talk about.

Hermione was looking now through a book she had retrieved, with the title, _Meditation, Auras, and other obvious things you need to ask me about._ They saw a look of understanding cross her face, then a small smile. She handed the book to Harry and said, "You both might want to read this, as it should explain. It may not be exactly what you expected, but..."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other curiously. After a moment, she broke the silence, saying, "We'd better see what she's on about." Harry nodded in agreement, and they both bent to the passage the bushy-haired girl had indicated.

_The most effective means to meditation, especially as an aid to Occlumency, is to focus on the face of the person you love the most. If you choose the one person who means more to you than anyone else in the world, whom you most wish to protect and you wish to have by your side, everything else will be easy. _

The book went on to describe the whys and wherefores of it all, but after the passage about who to choose as a focus, the two stopped reading. Harry stayed that way, looking at the book, not taking in any further words, for a few moments. Slowly, he looked to his side, at Ginny. Her mouth had dropped open as she stared, unbelieving, at him.

"Gin, I..."

She cut him off. She had something to ask. "_I_ am the person who matters most to you? You...Y-you..._love_ me?"

"Yes, Ginny, I do. I don't know when it happened, but I _do_ know right when I knew it for sure. When we went to the Ministry, I saw exactly what you were willing to risk for me, on just my word. When you said that you were coming along and I'd better damn well accept it, I knew. It wasn't just that, it was a lot of things, I think."

She punched him hard on the arm. "You knew _then?_ And you didn't _say _anything? How could you?"

"If you remember right, we were all just a _bit_ busy at that point. Besides, Hermione told me you were over me, and I figured it was just another demonstration of the way my luck works. I thought you'd never feel that way about me again."

"You idiot. I have never stopped loving you. What I told Hermione was that I had given up on trying to win you. I _tried_ to give up how I felt about you, but it never worked."

"You mean..."

"Yes, I still love you, and I always will."

Harry bent toward her to kiss her, but as his lips touched hers, they heard the very distinct sound of three throats being cleared. Both turned red very quickly, as they turned towards the other people they had almost forgotten were there.

Molly tried to maintain a stern look, but couldn't hide the smile she had. It was obvious she was very happy about her daughter finally getting together with the one she'd loved for so long.

Hermione was beaming, so happy was she to see two of her best friends find each other. She also had a faint look of 'I told you so' playing over her animated face.

Tonks was sitting on a chair at the other end of the table, laughing. "What'd I tell you, Ginny?"

Ron was the one Harry dreaded looking at. When he saw his friend, though, Ron was sitting back with a smug look on his face, arms crossed. Harry was most surprised to see this. He'd thought for sure Ron would go into high 'Ginny-protect' mode.

The new couple looked at each other, confused, then turned back to face him. Ginny asked, "Alright, Ron. What's the look for? What are you so smug about?"

Her brother buffed his nails a moment on his shirt, clearly self-satisfied. "I've only been trying to get you two together for a year and a half, now. Merlin Harry, no offense, but you can be thick sometimes."

He lost the smug look when Harry looked back at him with a smile. "_I'm_ the thick one, then? So tell me, have you asked Hermione out yet?"

Ron sat up, gasping like a fish in a net, trying to form words. Hermione had a look of shock, and was making urgent hand motions, trying to get Harry to stop. It didn't work one iota.

"Ron, honestly, all of Gryffindor, if not the rest of the school, has known you two are mental over each other since second year. Fourth year was when you really broadcast it to the whole school though, as well as Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. It's not as if nobody could see the fact that you went from idolizing Viktor Krum to hating his guts, as soon as he started paying attention to 'Mione." He turned to his other best friend. "Mione, tell us the truth. Was there ever really anything between you and Viktor? Besides him chasing you like a love-struck puppy, that is."

She looked over at him and shook her head, replying, "No, there wasn't. He was sweet, in a way, but I never thought about him that way. Sure, he's fit, and does his _own_ homework," she again shot that dark look at the redheaded boy next to her, "There was just never that kind of attraction. No matter how hard he tried, I just couldn't get past the feelings I had for somebody else." She turned a more tender look on Ron this time. "It's always been you, Ron."

Ron tried to force words past his lips. "M-m-me?" he finally squeaked. At her nod, he said, "I never knew, Mione, really. I've been mad about you since I met you. I just never dreamed you felt anything for me besides friendship. Or annoyance for that matter. That's why I always pick fights, start arguments with you. Half the time, that's the only way you let anything slip." He looked down now. "I just always assumed you'd find somebody as smart as you, somebody you could relate to. I never thought it would be me."

Ron and Hermione were the ones now forgetting about the rest, as Ron leaned in toward his new girlfriend for a kiss. Just as he was almost there, he heard, from Harry's direction, "Hem-hem." They both shot straight up in their seats, with a flashback to DADA classes the previous year.

Harry and Ginny were laughing at the looks on the other's faces, confusing Molly and Tonks. Hermione huffily explained that was the way the hag Umbridge had cleared her throat when she wanted attention, and all became clear to the adults. They couldn't resist laughing at the looks on Ron and Hermione's faces.

Molly filed this efective attention-getter away for future reference and proceeded to other matters. "As happy as I am to see all of that settled, there actually was a reason we called Nymphad-excuse me, Tonks in here, besides breakfast and a show. The children would like to make a trip to Diagon Alley soon, and Harry needs to find a place, probably in muggle London, where he can find some new clothes. He really has nothing except cast-offs from his cousin, who is _several_ sizes larger than he is. When do you think we could get a shopping trip together?"

Tonks thought it over, casting her eyes over Harry's clothes. "I see what you mean. He needs some things that fit. Let me check on it, and I'll have an answer tonight. Harry, might I use Hedwig?"

"Sure, Tonks. She'll be glad of something to do. Pretty much everybody I'd be writing to is in this house anyway, so she'll be a bit bored the rest of the summer. She's on the perch in the sitting room."

"Alright then. I'll just get a letter off, then head back outside for my guard duty." She grabbed another piece of toast and some bacon, and went to find the snowy owl, leaving the rest alone.

Molly cast an eye over the two couples before her. "If it were any other four children I was talking to, I'd give the standard speech about behaving yourselves, as well as not rushing into anything you're not ready for." The four teens shifted in their seats, looking a bit uncomfortable at the prospect of 'The Talk.' "However, none of you have exactly _rushed_ into anything, now have you? I also know that you four are very responsible, at least for the most part." They all relaxed a bit, until she said, "One thing I _do_ think we need to go over, though are certain, well, spells, you will all need. I am _not_ condoning, at this point, anyway, more, er, physical behavior, but I do remember what it's like to be young and in love. I want to make sure that, if something does happen, I don't need to worry about any early grandchildren." All four teens reddened at this, and she continued. "Though I _do_ expect to see some farther down the road. It's not as if I expect any out of Fred and George. Those two..." After a moment, she started teaching the teens the proper spells, and made sure they knew them perfectly by lunchtime.

As they sat down for lunch, the fire in the grate flamed green, then Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall stepped from the fireplace.

"Albus, Minerva, would you like some lunch?" Molly greeted them both.

"That sounds very good indeed, Molly." The headmaster seated himself, noting how the teens sat at the table, the two couples obviously resolved now. He looked at Harry, asking, "How has your holiday been, Harry? I don't think we were expecting you to be away from your aunt and uncles already. I presume the present arrangement suits you better?"

Before the young wizard had a chance to reply, Molly jumped in. "Albus, if I have even one word to say about it, Harry will not go back there. Ever!"

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose so high on his forehead, they almost seemed to disappear. "Is there something I need to be aware of, Molly?"

Molly looked to Harry for the moment, and when she recieved a reluctant nod from him, she went on. "Actually, yes there is, Albus. Those _people_ are _completely_ unsuitable for Harry to be around. The way his uncle reacted to myself and the girls was entirely out of order. I have also seen things on Harry in the past that I've wondered whether I should mention. Last summer, and the one before, he had bruises in places that could not have resulted from a fall down the stairs, or simple rough-housing. He's never told me whether it was from his uncle or that great bully of a cousin, but it doesn't matter. If it was from the cousin, the uncle should have stopped it. He obviously doesn't care a fig for Harry. He's also almost totally malnourished, every time we see him after the summer. They barely feed him, Albus." She looked at the older man with a determined expression. "As far as Arthur and I are concerned, he is as good as being our son. As far as Ginny and the boys go, he's another brother to them. Well, maybe not Ginny anymore." This last was added with a wink to her daughter, then she turned back to Dumbledore. "After school ends this coming year, he _will_ be coming back here, or to headquarters, if that's where we end up. Either way, he will be with _us!"_ Having said her piece, she sat down, glaring at the headmaster.

McGonagall spoke up now, more quietly. "Headmaster, you know my opinions on this matter. I expressed them on the very night that Harry was placed there. I know that there were very valid reasons for what was done, but I believe that the time for those arrangements has passed. I believe the Burrow really is the best place for him, now."

Dumbledore removed his glasses, placing them on the table. He closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose for a moment. Shortly, he replaced his glasses on his face, and looked at Harry. "Molly makes a very good point. I assume that you would prefer this arrangement, Harry?"

When the younger wizard nodded fervently, Dumbledore said, "Very well. I will ensure it. I apologize, Harry. I never had any idea of everything that went on there. It appears that my message to Petunia went unheeded, at least after the initial delivery." He contemplated this for a moment, then continued. "The reason we are here, actually, was originally to deliver some news. Good news, we think. First, I recieved the message from Miss Tonks, earlier today. We will have enough people free to stand a roving guard tomorrow, for your shopping trip. Molly, you are correct. He does need new clothes. Shacklebolt Kingsley and Remus Lupin will be here tomorrow around nine AM, to assist Miss Tonks in guard duty for your trip to Diagon Alley. Once your supplies and books are taken care of, they and a few others will escort you into muggle London, for clothes shopping. Not to worry, though, your guards will be discrete. To avoid any questions, Miss Tonks will simply disguise herself, and accompany you in the open." He turned to McGonagall now. "Minerva, I believe you have some news for Harry?"

She looked over at him and said, "Yes, as a matter of fact. There were some rather sweeping, and if I may say so, extremely stupid changes made last year by the Umbridge woman." She paused, collecting herself. The teens were quite aware of how she felt about Delores Umbridge. "None of the changes she made will stand. Including, Harry, your ban from quidditch. It has been lifted, and you will be back on the team. I want that cup to remain in my office. I will not allow Severus Snape to gloat, as he did before you came along, understood?" Harry nodded, a huge grin on his face. He would get to play again! This was better news than almost anything else he could imagine. She continued with, "I would also like to request that you and Mr Weasley here, serve as co-captains. You will each have a lot to deal with this year, but I believe that, for the two of you, it will not be too much of a burden. Will you accept?" Both young men accepted readily. "Harry, I would also ask you to do something for me. May I see your hand?"

He started to hold out his left, and she indicated that she wanted the other. She peered intently at the scars there, then looked into his eyes. "Harry, I won't ask why you chose to conceal this from me, but be assured, she will be dealt with."

Molly looked at the transfiguration professor and asked, "What have I missed here? Who will be dealt with? For what?"

"Delores Umbridge, while a professor last year, forced Harry, among others, to use a bloodquill to write lines. This young man, due to his perseverence in telling her a truth she didn't wish to hear, served more detentions than any other student. Bloodquills have been outlawed for decades, with good reason. Umbridge will be dealt with as soon, and as thoroughly as possible. Harry, would you be willing to testify if needed?"

"You're kidding. Of course I would. Anything to keep that toad away from any other kids for the rest of her life."

McGonagall nodded and said, "By the way, I have one other piece of news for you. I rather think you'll enjoy it." She brought from behind her back, a sleek dark broom, with a serial number at the top of the handle. "I believe this Firebolt belongs to you?"

He took it eagerly from her. "Thanks, professor! This is great! I can fly again!"

The look on his face was all the thanks she needed.

Dumbledore had one more question. "When Miss Tonks passed along your request, she also mentioned the new abilities you seem to have gained, as well as new techniques. If you don't mind, I would return in a few days, so that we may discuss them in further detail. In the meantime, please don't let this old man keep you from getting reacquainted with your broom. Go along now."

Harry thanked him, and rushed outside, the other teens following.

"I have to say, Molly, that I have never seen Harry as happy as I have today. I doubt that it is all due to having his broom back, though that's obviously part of it. How much of it is due to the prospect of not going back to the Dursleys and how much is due to what he and Ginny now seem to share, do you think?"

As they discussed the developing situation, the teens being discussed were out by the backyard quidditch pitch. Harry mounted his Firebolt and kicked off from the ground. He appeared to rise quickly, until he slid back on the broom and flattened himself along it. He shot into the sky, soaring so high that the others quickly lost sight of him. Almost as quickly, he reappeared, headed almost straight down. Hermione shrieked, burying her face in Ron's chest as Harry plummeted downwards, pulling out of the dive at the very last moment, leveling off just inches over the grass. He shot by them faster than they could even hope to keep track of. Hermione looked at Ginny, saying, "You know, I really hate it when he does that Wonky-Faint thing. I swear, one of these times, it's not going to work."

Ron corrected her absently, watching his friend's joy at just being in the air again. "Wronski Feint, Hermione."

Ginny watched the two, amused. A day ago, if the bushy-haired witch had mispronounced the quidditch move that way, it would have been a full-fledged argument in no time. Well, at least they hadn't had to resort to locking them in somewhere. Though, that might have been more fun. It had been a great day, and tomorrow looked like it would be a good one as well.

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait in updating, all. This was, to put it mildly, a very wierd week. We had some issues with, as Arthur Weasley would say, Eckletricity. There was also a slight problem with writer's block. Basically, every time I had an idea to put down, we had no power, every time we had power, no ideas would come. Argh. Oh well. At least the power issue has been resolved, and the writer's block thing seems to have gone away as well. For the time being, anyway. There should be an update on Perspective tomorrow, if all goes well.

Lady of the Dragons2: I know what you mean about dragons. I've always loved them myself. My favorites are the ones who inhabit Pern, courtesy of Anne McCaffrey. As to Molly, she's always been very protective of Harry, and this just seems a progresiion of that.

Lady of Masbolle: Thanks! I'm doing my best.

Phoenix Friend: I'm really glad you like the stories. This one and Perspective are separate stories, but I've been thinking about a prequel to that one. Maybe in the future...

Sibling Creature: Argh! That was something I was going to correct in the edit, but a brain spasm prevented that. Glad you like it.

Dragonclawz54: Thank you for your very kind comments. I just wish it was as easy as it sounds.

Addax: Thank you. The curse on Vernon was something that I thought was sorely needed, and entirely appropriate.


	4. Chapter 4: Shopping Day

**Disclaimer:** Anyone who really truly believes any of this belongs to me, please raise your hands. Ok, that's it. No more tequila for you five. The rest of you, carry on. I appreciate the sentiment, but we really can't have you spreading those stories around. Legal ferrets are just too much hassle to deal with today.

**Shopping Day:**

Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall stepped from the fireplace in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts and each took a seat across from the other. They regarded each other for a moment, contemplating the events of the day. Finally, Albus looked at Minerva and said, "We have known each other much too long to stand on formalities at this point. I know you want to say it, so go ahead. I was wrong."

She pursed her lips, considering. After a moment she said, "As I mentioned earlier, I made it known to you long ago, how I felt about how you handled the situation with Mr Potter and those _people." _Dumbledore started to say something, and she held up a hand, stopping him. "What I said to you that night fifteen years ago still stands, more now so than ever. They really _are_ the worst kind of muggles. Prejudiced, closed-minded, selfish types of people. I am amazed that he turned out as well as he did, considering the environment." She shook her head, contemplating how different things might have been, were it anyone else they were discussing. "Harry truly _is_ the child of James and Lily. He's taken on the best attributes of both, with only a little of the less attractive aspects of them. James' determination, as well as Lily's compassion, are just the top layer." She scowled now. "I really don't know where Severus gets the idea the boy is arrogant. He's nowhere near as big-headed as his father was, at that age. Good thing he grew out of _that_ when he did.

"Albus, I know why you placed him where you did, given the protection he would need, as well as the fact that he may have indeed become as arrogant as Severus thinks he is, if he'd grown up hearing that he was the saviour of the wizarding world and all of that. Now, however, we know there's really no danger of that happening, as much as Harry hates publicity, good or bad. Too, I think his powers have really outgrown the need for that protection. As strong as it is, it really means no more now than a strong set of wards, given his current level. I really do think it high time that he is parted, permanently if possible, from the Dursleys."

Dumbledore nodded as she finished. "After Molly's account of her talk with Vernon, which I believe was somewhat edited, I have to say I agree with you on this. Especially in light of this new revelation concerning his powers. Very few wizards or witches in history, that we know of, have been able to sense magical auras, especially to the degree that he seems to be able to. Generally, those with the ability are only able to discern color, as well as a vague feel. I don't think I've ever heard of one who sensed the feel of an aura to the level he seems to, or taste or smell for that matter. I would appreciate it if you were to research this in your library, and I will check my own. Also, please see if Alastor, Remus, and Kingsley would check the wards around the Burrow, once they return from tomorrow's excursion." He looked over his half-moon spectacles at his deputy headmistress. "If Harry is to live there full-time from now on, aside from his time here, we'd best make sure the place is securely prepared."

"I'll get a start on that now, Albus. I'm sure you have things to do as well. I'll see you later, at dinner." She got up to leave, but stopped for a moment as she reached the door. She turned back to look at the older wizard. "One quality you and our Mr Potter seem to share in abundance is the tendency to take too much of the blame on yourself, when things don't go as planned. Please remember the advice you want to give Harry, and don't blame yourself too much for all of this. I still believe in the reasons you did what you did." With this, she turned to exit the office. As the door shut, she didn't hear the soft remark he made.

"The only problem with that, is that we all know where the road of good intentions can lead."

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The Burrow was a madhouse the next morning, with four people trying to get ready all at once, for their shopping trip. Molly had risen early to get Arthur off to work, and the only part she needed to take in it was getting breakfast on the table for the teens, and getting them out of bed, to get dressed. She had to remind Ginny and Ron two times each that they would be venturing into muggle London for part of their trip, and couldn't wear anything related to quidditch. As most of her youngest son's wardrobe related to the Chudley Cannons in one way or another, this made things difficult. In the end, Ginny settled on a black t-shirt that read, "One by one, the garden gnomes steal my sanity." Strangely enough, this had been purchased from a muggle business, named WickedJester. Ron was wearing a similar one, from the same store, that said, "Organized people are just too lazy to look for their stuff." She shook her head at both of these, but supposed they could have been worse. The catalog they had been obtained from had much more disturbing designs illustrated. Once they were all ready, she got them seated around the table for breakfast, as there was only about a half an hour, before the guards for the day were to arrive. She watched as the four of them, rather the two couples, talked over their meal, discussing the day ahead.

Hermione said, "I hope we get to learn the shrinking charm this year. That would make shopping trips so much easier. It gets to be such a pain carrying everything around."

Ron shrugged and replied, "Me too, actually. Good job we'll have the guards there. Tonks will be able to do that for us today. With everything we have to pick up before going out into the muggle part of town, it would all get too heavy, otherwise." He looked at the two girls with a slight smirk. "If I know you two, we'll be coming back with full arms from the clothing stores."

Hermione just nodded a bit, saying, "Too right. I haven't been in a clothing store in entirely too long. It'll be fun to pick out my whole wardrobe for once. My mum has decent taste in clothes, but altogether too parochial."

Ginny agreed with her friend. "It'll be fun to get some clothes that are just fun or comfortable." She shot a grin at Harry. "It'll be convenient to have someone to help carry everything, too."

Her boyfriend looked across at Ron with a rueful expression. "When do you reckon we signed up to be pack-mules?"

"Probably when we asked them to be our girlfriends."

"Seems to go with the territory, doesn't it?"

There was more good-natured teasing around the table until the guards arrived. Tonks was disguised today, through her special talents, as a tall, somewhat willowy blue-eyed woman with long, strawberry blond hair. As there was nobody who was able to resist a cup of tea and a piece of Molly's treacle tart, it was just a bit longer before the group assembled to go out. Before they left, Remus handed each of the teens pencils that had would be emergency portkeys, just in case. They were given the activation words, and the four flooed to the Leaky Cauldron with Tonks, while Remus and Kingsley apparated to the alley in back of the pub. They were already in Diagon Alley, when the other five came through. They all trooped down to Gringott's, to get that out of the way, before starting on the shopping. As they entered, one of the goblins approached the group.

He went straight to Harry. "Mr Potter?"

"Yes, that's me."

"If you would follow me for a moment, one of our executives needs to speak with you."

"Well, sure, but my friends..."

"They will be attended to. It won't take very long."

Ginny told him, "Go ahead. We'll wait for you. We have all day." She stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss. "Go on."

He turned back to the goblin. "Alright then. Lead the way."

The two of them walked to a door at the opposite end of the lobby. When they passed through, they turned to the right and entered a lift at the end of the hallway. "Penthouse." said the goblin. The lift descended quite a way, without stopping, before they reached their destination. Apparently, the most important floors were the ones the farthest down from the surface, like at the Ministry. He wondered if the goblins had done that building as well.

They stepped from the lift at last, and went straight down the hall, to a lone door at the end. The door opened, apparently on it's own, and he was directed through. "I'll wait for you here." said the goblin.

Harry stepped through, and the door closed quietly behind him. The office was elegantly appointed, with a heavy dark oak desk, and bookcases to match. The cases were filled with books of all kinds, from arithmancy, to curse-breaking, to household charms. An eclectic collection, to say the least. He was examining these, and heard a door behind him open and close. He turned, and realized that the goblin facing him looked familiar.

"Griphook, isn't it?"

He looked surprised to be remembered. The last time he had talked to this young human was five years ago. "Yes, actually. I'm honored you remember. Apart from those we see on a regular basis, most humans never bother to learn how to tell us apart. Please, take a seat."

Harry sat down in a very plush leather chair in front of the desk, while the goblin seated himself in his own chair on the other side. "So, what can I do for you. sir?"

"Actually, Mr Potter, I just need to pass something along to you. A letter was left with me, by Sirius Black. It was to be delivered to you upon your first visit to us, in the event that he should pass away." He drew from one of the drawers of his desk a stiff envelope with a thick wax seal affixed to the flap. There were gothic letters reading "SB", with the legend, "Marauders Forever" around the outside edge. The front of the envelope had his name.

"I'll leave you alone for a few moments, so you may read this in peace." Griphook then left the room, through a doorway concealed behind one of the bookcases.

With no small amount of trepidation, Harry broke the seal on the envelope, and slid the letter out. A key, obviously one for a vault, fell out into his hand. He set that aside for a moment and unfolded the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_As much as I hate to say this, if you're reading this, I've passed to the great beyond, or some such rubbish like that. The point is, I'm dead. Gone. Nail the coffin shut. Doornail time. However you want to put it, I'm no longer among the living. Now that we've got the morbid crap out of the way, on to the meat of this letter._

_Harry, I know you better in some ways than you know yourself. I know that you have, for too long, taken too much of the blame for everything around you onto yourself. You blame yourself for Cedric's death, not to mention everybody who has suffered since Lord Moldy came back, because Peter helped raise him, and you made the choice to let Wormtail live. Well, guess what? Not your fault. Moony and I also made a choice that night. Despite everything that's happened since then, I still believe it was the right choice. I believe you saved our souls that night. We were going to kill an unarmed man. No matter how you slice it, no matter what heinous thing he'd done,_ _none of us have that right. It was the right decision to turn him over to the authorities, so that due process could be followed. Even if it didn't work the way we wanted it to. Not what you expected to hear from me, eh? Well, I've had a lot of time to think lately, what with having to stay out of sight. _

_I also know that, if I'm gone, you're probably blaming yourself for that as well. Harry, whether I died tripping down the stairs, or in a running battle with Voldemort's pet killers, remember one thing. It is NOT your fault. Nope. Nada. Nyet. Non. Uh-uh. Get that through your thick skull, yet? Don't make me come back there and kick your arse, for wallowing in guilt. I have spent the time since leaving my little vacation in hell trying to make sure your dad and mum don't kick mine from here to Kingdom Come, for not taking care of you. Part of this is making sure that you are as happy as you can possibly be, given the circumstances. Happiness, in case you weren't aware of this, does not include any room for the boatload of guilt you seem to enjoy carting around with you. If, by some miniscule chance, anything you have done has contributed to the circumstances surrounding my death, then I hereby absolve you of any guilt or blame for it, as you forgave me for what I did that contributed to your parent's muder. That shouldn't be needed, though. Any blame should be squarely where it belongs, on the shoulders of old Snake-Face. He's the one causing all this, and should take the responsibility._

_The only advice I can offer you is to enjoy life, fall in love, spend foolishly, and above all, prank as many slimy Slytherins as you can. Especially ones named Snape and Malfoy. In short, have fun. Please. Life is much too short not to. _

_Please don't push your friends away. By doing that, you don't save them from harm, you put them directly in it's way. You have to know that true friends like you've been lucky enough to have will not willingly allow you to leave them behind whe you finally fulfill that damned prophecy. Yes, I know about it. James told me, before you were born. It was the reason they went into hiding. Merlin, but I hate seers._

_Okay, one last thing. This portion of my letter will serve as my last will and testament. I, Sirius Black, being of reasonably sound mind and body, do leave all of my worldly posessions to one Harry Potter. I will only set three conditions on this._

_1) The property at 12 Grimmauld Place, ancestral property of the Family Black, is to continue to be used as it is presently engaged, until such time as the need no longer exists. Pursuant to this, you will find a spellbook in my personal vault with an incantation that should take care of the permanent sticking charm of dear old Mum's portrait in the hallway. Use it. As soon as possible. _

_2) Take care of Moony. He won't do it himself, and refuses to 'impose' on anybody else. He is to stay at that house for as long as he has need of it, even if that extends beyond the lease of the current tenant._

_3) Most importantly, you, Harry, are to immediately withdraw no less than twenty-five hundred galleons from my vault, and spend it foolishly and frivolously. If you do not follow this condition, everything reverts to the Malfoys. Truthfully, that's the only threat I could come up with, that will ensure that you do this._

_Harry, please remember that I'm very proud of the man you're growing into, and I know that James and Lils would be as well. You remind me so much of both of them. Truth be told, you're even more of a natural flyer than James was. You're also as compassionate as Lily. Don't ever lose that, please. Also, remember that we all love you. We'll see you on the other side, but make sure it's not for a long damn time._

_Love,_

_Sirius_

Harry felt the last of the guilt he carried for his godfather's death lift from him, as a burden he hadn't realized was there. He wiped away the tears brought by the last paragraph. As he thought about what Sirius had said, a new resolve came over him. Padfoot was right. The Dark Moron _was_ to blame, and one day, would pay the price. He folded the letter and pocketed the key. As he stood, Griphook re-entered the room.

"I have taken the liberty of withdrawing the funds Mr Black specified in his will. Is there any particular way you would like it?"

"Yes," Harry replied, "Half of it in galleons, and the rest in pounds. We'll be doing some shopping today, both here and in muggle London."

"Very well. We will have it ready in the lobby. I will meet you there"

Harry went through the door and was conducted back to the main lobby upstairs.

His friends were waiting for him near the door. Griphook intercepted him, with a small sack and an thick envelope. "Your funds, Mr Potter. No signature is needed, unless you need a receipt." At Harry's negative response, he said, "Have a good day then, and we'll see you soon." The young wizard pocketed his money and nodded to the goblin. He then turned to continue on to the other teens and Tonks.

Ginny slipped her arm around him and asked with an impish grin, "Ready to go, Mr Bigshot?" She led him through the door to start shopping.

Once outside, Harry turned to the rest and asked, "Where first?"

Ron replied, "You haven't seen the Twins' place yet. How about there?"

"Good idea. Lead on."

They struck out, and as they walked, Ginny, Hermione and Ron all noticed something different about their friend. His back was held straight, his shoulders squared, and there was something about the look on his face. Ron and Hermione fell back a bit, so she could ask, "Ron, does something seem different about him?"

"Now that you mention it, Mione, there _is_ something."

While they were whispering, Ginny took a much more direct approach. "So, what was that about? What did that goblin say that changed everything from when you went in there?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "That obvious, am I?" As she nodded, he came to a decision. He stopped to allow Ron and Hermione to catch up. "Change of plans. Let's stop at Florean Fortescue's for some ice cream. I suppose I'll need to let you all know what all that was about, or we won't get anywhere for all the whispering these two are going to do."

Tonks stationed herself at a table next to theirs, so she could stay close, while still allowing them a bit of privacy to talk.

Harry turned to her and said, "You may as well join us, as some of what I'm about to say concerns the, um, _Order_ of things."

She nodded, catching his meaning, and moved over between Hermione and Ginny.

Once they had all ordered, Harry got the letter out and passed it around. After everyone had a chance to read it, he folded it back up and put it away. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, Ginny could swear she saw something in those emerald orbs. A strength, a determination, that hadn't been there earlier in the day.

"I don't know how to explain it. Somehow, after reading that letter, I felt like Atlas, after having the world lifted from him. I've been carrying all of this around for so long that I didn't even realize it was there, anymore. It's not all gone, as I know that I still have to shoulder some of it. But, now I know where the real blame for all of this belongs. It's the fault of He-Who-Has-Taken-Too-Many-Bludgers-To-The-Head. The Dark Twit will pay, and pay dearly. In the meantime, I plan on enjoying myself, as much as I can. I know I have to train and prepare, so that I can beat him in the end."

Hermione asked, "What do you mean, so _you_ can beat him? Why do you think it has to be you?"

Harry had dreaded this moment, but saw he couldn't put it off. It was time to tell them about the prophecy. When he had finished, they had reacted pretty much the way he'd thought they would. Ron's jaw had dropped, and all he could say was, "Bloody hell, Harry."

Hermione was trying to analyze everything, and Ginny just held on to him tighter. She murmured in his ear, "We'll just have to make sure that you are the one left standing at the end. Tom didn't get you before, and he sure as hell won't, now. Not if _I_ have anything to say about it."

Harry turned and kissed his girlfriend. "I think that's why I love you. Thank you, Miss Weasley."

She returned the kiss and said, "You're very welcome, Mr Potter."

After they had all finished their ice cream, it was time to head for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Before long, they had seen the luridly colored sign hanging over the shop. A smaller sign on the door said, "Enter at your own risk. Pass us by at a much greater risk, one of not knowing all the best pranks." They walked through the door and saw bins everywhere. The signs all over advertised Canary Creams, Headless Hats, all varietys of Skiving Snackboxes, and all kinds of other things. They looked toward the back of the store and saw Fred. "Oi! George! Our partner is here!" The other twin bounced out from the back room.

When he reached the front of the store, George noticed something his twin had not. "Fred? Have you noticed where one of Gin-Gin's arms is currently? Hermione's, too?"

Fred did a double-take and replied, "Same place as Harry's and Ron's, I believe."

"I'm so proud." A fake tear was wiped away.

"They're all grown up."

The twins turned to each other, and with huge sobs, hugged. Ginny drew her wand and told her brothers, "Alright you two. Cut it. Unless you _want_ your own bogeys attacking you, flapping around your heads?"

Fred looked up. "Have you boys had The Talk, yet?"

Ginny intervened again. "You already gave it to Ron, and he wouldn't look at a girl for a week. Took Mum that long to get out of him what you told him. Don't even _try_ that with Harry."

Snickering, George said, "Gin, I would hope that Harry isn't nearly as gulible as ickle Ronniekins was, especially as he was seven years old."

Harry made a mental note to ask Ginny what they had told his friend. It promised to be quite amusing. "So, guys, do we get a tour or what?"

They showed Tonks and the others around the shop, introducing them to some of the things they had recently developed. Harry was particularly interested in the Trotter Toffees. They were supposed to induce random attacks of explosive diarhea, for a period of time ranging from an hour to two weeks, depending upon how much you gave someone. He had a target in mind for this already. The only question would be how to get a certain potion's master to eat them. Preferably in large servings.

A bit later they were heading for the door with a sample box for each, Harry looked out the window, and saw Draco Malfoy. Curious, he let his eyes unfocus, to see what that particular outline would be. A moment later, he burst out in laughter. The rest saw where he was looking, and wondered what was so funny about that. He appeared to just be walking down the sidewalk, looking bored. The four that had accompanied him asked him what he had seen. After a few minutes, he finally calmed down enough to explain, "Lavender, brittle, and sour. Do you remember if that book had anything on interpreting these things, Hermione?"

Once she had stopped laughing at the lavender portion of it, she gave it some thought. "I don't think so, Harry. There'll probably be something at Flourish and Blott's, though."

Gred and Forge were confused about the whole thing. They hadn't seen Malfoy wearing any lavender, and had no idea why that was so hilarious to the rest.

"Just come to the Burrow for dinner tonight, and I'll explain. I don't want to go into it here. We have too much to do today."

With that, the five of them left the store, to get the supplies they would need. As the four teens still hadn't received their O.W.L. results, they didn't bother with course books, though Hermione did get the rest of them to stop at the bookstore. She wanted to see if they had any information on auras. A few minutes later, she was checking out, and they were on their way to get everything else they would need for the coming year. Taking Professor McGonagall at her word about making sure he was accepted into all the N.E.W.T. level courses he would need to become an auror, he stocked up, along with the rest, on his potion making supplies. After that, they stopped at a few other places, such as Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Madam Malkins, to get the rest of it out of the way. On the way back to the Leaky Cauldron, they stopped off at Eeylops Owl Emporium, so Harry could stock up on owl treats for Hedwig.

Once they were at the Cauldron, Tonks agreed to shrink all their purchases, so they could fit into their pockets, while in muggle London. As they headed for the door, Ginny whispered a quick spell, and the back of Ron's t-shirt now read, "I'm not very smart, but I can lift heavy things." Hermione heard Harry and Ginny snickering behind her, and looked around until she saw what was now on her boyfriend's back. She shot a glare at Ginny, who reluctantly changed it back.

Ginny muttered to Harry, "That girl is just _no fun _sometimes."

The group walked out into the muggle part of London, heading for the nearest clothing store. They came upon one with a large selection fairly quickly. As they walked in, Ginny and Hermione seemed as if they were communicationg telepathically. The briskly wandered through the menswear department, collecting a large assortment of things for Harry to try on. He saw Ron standing to one side, chuckling at his best friend's predicament. Harry called Hermione and Tonks over and told them, "No way he's getting out of this. I won't be the only one putting on a bloody fashion show today." He grinned at the sudden look of terror on Ron's face. Harry said, "That's what you get for laughing at me. Right in the same boat, we are." Ron tried to beg off, on the grounds that he didn't have the money for this. Harry countered with, "Look, mate. Sirius said I have to blow all this money, and he hinted that it should be, if not all at once, then a pretty large chunk in one blow. No getting away." He grinned even wider now. "Besides, after this, it's _their _turn." At this, Ron seemed a bit mollified. Ten minutes later, they were over at the changing rooms.

The first pair of jeans tossed over the door to him were black and so tight he couldn't even wear his boxers under them. "There is no way I'm coming out there with these on. They're entirely too...erm...revealing."

"Harry, don't make me send you bat-bogeys."

"Alright, fine. Just remember, you asked for this." He opened the door and walked out.

Ginny turned to see him, and whispered, in a throaty vioce, "Oh, Merlin..." The cute redhead hadn't realized just what was under those quidditch robes til now, though not for lack of speculation. She couldn't seem to get the rest of the sentence out, but she had a very hungry look all of a sudden, and she licked her lips. She and Hermione, who also appeared a bit shaken, looked at each other and said, "Keeper."

This went on for a while, with some items going into the keeper pile, and some going back on the racks. The only consolation was that Ron was going through the same thing. By the time this was done, both girls were looking flushed, and Tonks was off to one side, laughing. Harry and Ron changed back into the clothes they had arrived in and emerged a final time.

Ginny looked at what he was wearing and said, "As soon as we get home, those things are going in the trash."

Harry agreed and asked, "So Tonks, where's the women's wear department?"

She pointed the way, and he and Ron led the girls over, so the roles could be reversed. Both girls tried to refuse, on the same grounds that Ron had, earlier. Ron pointed out the same thing that Harry had. The guys then picked out clothes for their girlfriends to try, with a little help from Tonks.

Once they had each found an armload of stuff for the girls to try, they got into it with a vengeance. There were a few items that were kept, with quite a few put back, before Ginny came out of the dressing room wearing a dress that looked like it was made for her, then magically shrunk to fit her frame perfectly. Harry's eyes felt as if they were about to fall out of his head. It was black, shot through with gold thread, and short. It came to just above the knee, showed just enough cleavage to hint that it was there, and dropped almost to the waist in back. She had tried on heels with it, small ones, just an inch or so, but they were enough to emphasize her muscular legs. He could barely take his eyes from her, until Ron smacked him on the back of the head.

"Look, I know you two are going out, but would you quit ogling my sister like that? At least in public. Blimey!"

A few minutes later, Hermione emerged in a gold dress, a bit longer, showing a little more cleavage. This one fit her form very snugly as well, and Ron was the one to go into shock this time. She blushed as she saw his reaction. "What do you think?"

Ron could only say, "You're beautiful..." before his voice trailed off into nothingness.

Harry smacked him on the ear. "Now you quit ogling _my_ sister."

The bushy-haired girl gave him a strange look as she went back to change. When the girls were done, and the clothes ready to go to the register. Hermione pulled Harry aside. "What did you mean, _your_ sister?"

He said, "Mione, I've always thought of you that way. We haven't always agreed about everything, but we've always been there for each other when it counted."

She gave him a hug that rivaled one of Molly's at this. Her eyes were full as she said, "Thank you, Harry. I've always felt that way, too. I just didn't want to say anything."

She let him go and went to Ron, wiping her cheeks. All of them proceeded to the check-out to pay for it all. A snippy sounding clerk asked if it would be check or charge. Harry pulled out his roll of pound notes, and the clerk quickly became very accomodating, ringing it up and wrapping it for them.

They left the store, and on the way back to the Cauldron, Harry saw something that gave him an idea. "Ginny, how good is your dad at getting muggle elctronics to run off magic?"

"Well, he's probably the only one I know of that actually does it. Mum gives him all kinds of hell about it, though. Why?"

He led them into an electronics store, where he and Hermione, the only two familiar with electronics, chose the things they would need for what he had in mind. After he paid for it all, he told the clerk to have it brought to the loading docks in the back of the store. He also asked that no store employes be in the back for the next ten minutes, while it was picked up. He and Tonks walked around to the back, and made sure there was nobody around, as he asked Tonks to shrink it all down.

A few minutes after that, they met everybody in front of the store, and walked back to the Cauldron, to go home. It looked like it was going to be a fun night.

**A/N:** Just a couple of quick notes, before I put this chapter to bed. It's getting a bit sleepy, as am I. I'd just like to thank those who've reviewed so far, for their kind comments. I'm getting to be quite the feedback addict, lately. I finally understand why so many writers have so many (formerly annoying) pleas for reviews. I probably won't start doing that, but if you would like to comment on what I've written, please feel free to do so. Also, for those waiting patiently for updates to Perspective, I apologize. This chapter was going to be a shortie, and I was going to start a new chapter for the other one, but it didn't quite work out that way, as you can probably tell. I really will work on Perspective tomorrow. Really and for true. By the way, the t-shirts the kids are wearing, as well as one or two that will appear in later chapters, are ffrom WickedJester, a truly twisted resource for sick t-shirts. I highly recommend it, and no, I am not affiliated with them in any way.


	5. Chapter 5: Movie Night and other unusual...

**Disclaimer:** Once again, it's time for the ritual legal disembowelment. Not mine, except the plot. Everything you recognize belongs to somebody else. yadda yadda yadda.

**Movie night and other unusual events**

Back at the Burrow, Ron helped clear out a sufficiently large area in the sitting room for everything Harry had picked up at the electronics store. Harry and Hermione were the only ones present who'd had any previous experience with electronics, both being muggle born. Most of that experience, however, was more along the lines of using, rather than setting up. Luckily, the bushy-haired girl was very well-versed in reading complicated manuals, so it wasn't as much of a trial as the rest had thought it would be upon seeing the rat's nest of cables, cords, and packing materials inside the box.

Within an hour, they had set up the big screen TV, VCR, DVD player, and the sound system to go with it. While in the store, Harry had taken the opportunity to seek out all of the movies he had always wanted to see, and picked up two copies of each. Hermione was also encouraged to do the same. He had decided that, if things changed, and he had to go to Grimmauld Place at some point during the coming school year, he would set up the same type of thing. There was no way he was going to stay at that dreary old place, without some sort of pleasant diversion. He had also picked up a portable DVD player with it's own screen, that he would also ask Mr Weasley to enchant for him. It would make for something nice to take back to school with him. When Mr Weasley arrived home from the Ministry that night, he was delighted to have so many muggle things to tinker with. Before he was allowed near them, Molly and Ginny both secured promises that he would not try to disassemble any of it. He reluctantly agreed, and performed the charms that would allow the electronic items to work off of magic. After dinner, they all settled in the living room to watch movies. Hermione got a look of mischief on her face, as she was allowed to pick what they would watch that evening. Ron and Harry had thought she would choose a romance, or something based on classic literature, but she surprised them. She grinned at Harry as she slid the disc into the player, but wouldn't tell him what it was. A moment later, the strains of orchestral music played over the speakers, and words scrolled down the screen. As soon as he saw the words, "A long time ago, in a galaxy, far, far, away..." he knew what she had chosen.

Ron's first reaction, predictably, was, "Of course, Mione would pick something that requires reading."

The girl in question picked up a pillow, and hit him with it. "Shut it, you."

Harry decided to intervene, before they missed any of the movie. "Ron, you'll like it. Trust me on this."

His friend subsided and, despite himself, became thoroughly engrossed in the story unfolding on the screen. All four teens laughed when Harry pointed out Darth Vader, and they were reminded of Harry's description of Voldemort, a couple days before. Soon, they were comparing different people in the movie to those they knew. What really struck them was the friendship between the three main characters, Leia, Han, and Luke. Ginny refused to accept this, as there was no parallel in the story for herself. Besides, she rather thought that the dark-haired Han Solo looked and acted more like Sirius, than either Ron or Harry. Halfway through the movie, Fred and George came home from the shop amd joined the rest of the group in watching the movie. As it ended, Hermione mentioned that there were two more movies in the series so far, and they ended up putting the second one in. The twins persisted in comparing Harry to Luke Skywalker, which got quite out of control after the scene near the end, when Vader revealed that he was Luke's father. It was no surprise that the two of them spent a half an hour after the movie ended saying things like, "Harry, I am your father." in sepulchural tones.

The other twin would then counter with, "No, _I_ am."

"Nope. Afraid not, old bean. Remember the Deatheater convention that weekend? You were out of town. It was _me."_

The next thing anyone knew, they were out in the backyard, dueling with mop handles. While they were quite entertaining, it was at least a bit surreal, to think they could take a comparison that far. To even suggest Snake-face was his father. Urgh. That was enough to need a shower.

Harry grabbed his Firebolt and went out to the paddock. He mounted the broom and shot into the air. He went steadily up, until he was a quarter mile in the air. He knew that one of the characteristics of the wards surrounding the Burrow was that, as long as you stayed within certain areas, you couldn't be seen by muggles, no matter how high you went. The young wizard sat up there on his broom, looking out at the area around the Burrow. From here, he could see both the stars above and the few lights in the village of Ottery St Catchpole. It was one of the most peaceful things he had ever seen. After a few minutes, he looked down, to see another broom rising to meet him. In the pale light of the moon, he saw the auburn hair streaming out behind Ginny's lithe figure.

She stopped next to him and said with a grin, "Hiya sexy. Come here often?"

"Every summer, if I can." was the reply. Harry smiled back at her and moved closer, until their faces were just inches apart. He leaned in, putting one arm around his girlfriend and pulled her close. Their lips touched, and the rest of the world disappeared. As the kiss deepened, nothing else mattered. All the two of them knew was each other, for this moment in time. When the need to breathe became too accute, they separated. Harry was the first to speak.

"I have been wanting to do that all day."

"So why didn't you?"

He shrugged now. "I don't know. Maybe I just didn't want an audience."

"You know, Mr Potter, that's something you'll just have to get used to. One of the hazards of a huge family like we have." She fixed him with a glare now. "And you _do_ realize, of course, that you are stuck with the whole lot of us."

The young wizard smiled just a bit ruefully. "Yeah, I know. It's just going to take some getting used to."

"Why is that? Our family has been yours, ever since you got your first Weasley Christmas jumper from Mum. Why else do you think she's insisted on you spending every summer with us since your second year?"

"I know that, Gin." He paused a moment, gathering his thoughts. Sharing his feelings was something new to him, and he wanted to make sure he got it right. To give himself a little time, he made a suggestion. "Why don't we head down, so we can sit down. This might take a little time."

She nodded in acquiescance, and they slowly spiraled to the ground, still with their arms around each other. They came down at the edge of the pond, just short of the pier. The brooms were laid down, and Harry took Ginny's hand, leading her out to where the wooden planks ended. They sank down and she nestled in his arms, leaning against him. The fiery redhead thought that this was the perfect place for her right now.

Harry wrapped his arms around her, thinking much the same. At this moment, he could have died very happy.

After a few moments enjoying this, he finally spoke. "I'm sure that, by now, you know that my childhood before Hogwarts was, erm, not good, to say the least."

She simply nodded at this. She had heard from her brothers about when they had taken the flying car to pick Harry up from Privet Drive. She still wasn't sure how much was exaggeration on their parts, and what was truth. "Um, Harry? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Gin."

"Ron, Fred, and George said something, the first time they came to get you, that I've been wondering about. Mum still thinks they were making up stories, trying to get out of trouble. Were there really bars on your windows?"

With a bitter laugh, he replied. "Yeah, Gin, there were. That was Vernon's way of trying to make sure that I had no contact with anybody. He also put locks on the outside of my door, and a cat flap at the bottom of my door, to push the occasional bowl of soup through. Every three days or so. They let me out of my room in the morning, so I could make breakfast for the family, do whatever chores he'd thought up for the day, and use the bathroom. That was pretty much it."

Ginny was horrified by this. She twisted in his arms until she faced him. Looking into his eyes, she realized he wasn't winding her up. Somehow, she knew that there was no way he would lie about a thing like that. He may not enjoy talking about it, but he wouldn't make something like that up. She threw her arms around him, trying not to let the tears escape her, as she thought of the way the love of her life had been treated.

Harry knew what she was feeling about this. He didn't know how he knew, just that he did. As they held each other, he ran his hands over her back, soothing her. "Shh. Gin, it's okay. I'm away from there, now. Don't worry about it. Besides, that's nothing, compared to..."

"Harry, that's _not_ how this is supposed to work! _I'm_ supposed to be comforting _you_." She broke off now, only just realizing what he had started to say. "Wait. You mean there was more? There was _worse?"_

Slowly, he nodded. "Yeah, there was." He started talking then, telling her about some of the things he had been subjected to, for all of the years at the Dursley's.

It was two hours later, when Molly came out to get the two of them, and have them come in for the night. She found them wrapped in each other's arms, fast asleep. From the puffiness around their eyes, it was obvious that both had been crying, but they both looked very happy right now, even content. When she saw this, she didn't have the heart to wake them. Instead, she cast a softening charm on the dock, conjured pillows for them, and put up a simple insect repelling charm around them. She went back inside for the night, secure in the knowledge that these two, her daughter and her semi-adopted son, were on the road to healing.

Morning dawned entirely too early the next day, as there was nothing to keep the bright sunlight from their eyes. When Harry awoke, he was surprised to see that Ginny was curled up next to him, her head on his chest, arm wrapped around him. He lay back, wondering where the pillow had come from, not to mention why the boards under him seemed so comfortable. All of that was forgotten, however, when he looked into the face near his. The girl he loved looked so peaceful in sleep. He gently pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, tucking it back behind her ear. She slowly woke then, her eyes opening. He knew then, that the look of love in those brown eyes as she gazed at him would be enough to take him to the ends of the earth, if need be. That could sustain him forever. He didn't realize that the expression in his own emerald eyes had the same effect on her, and always had. He just marvelled at the idea that somebody, especially someone as special as Ginny, could think of him that way. It warmed him all over, in ways that just might be a bit dangerous to contemplate at the moment. She slid up a little farther now, giving him a quick kiss good morning.

"Morning, sleepyhead." was his greeting to her.

"Good morning yourself. I don't see you up and about, yet." she teasingly responded.

"Well, I didn't want to wake you up. Sleep well?"

With an impish grin, she said, "Of course. I had my favorite pillow."

"Hmph. So now I'm just part of the bed linens, is that it? Speaking of pillows, where did these come from?"

Ginny sat up now, and looked at the pillows he had indicated. "Uh-oh."

"Why uh-oh?"

"Those are the pillows Mum conjures when she doesn't want to move somebody." She put her face in her hands. "That means she was out here last night. That also explains why these boards feel so comfy."

Harry caught the implications of this right away. "Oh. Uh-oh."

She stood up now, offering her boyfriend a hand up. "Well, nothing for it, then. We'd best get in there and face the music."

Harry got up and wrapped his arms around the petite redhead. "Well, no matter what kind of hell we catch, it'll be worth it. I think I could get used to waking up next to you."

She pulled him down for a kiss, then said, "I hope you still think so after we spend the day de-gnoming the garden."

Their fingers intertwined, they walked back to the house. Along the way, Harry's stomach growled. Before he could say anything, so did Ginny's, as if in response.

"Sounds like it's time for breakfast."

"Could be."

The happy couple went in and greeted Molly. Far from upset, she looked on the two of them fondly. After gathering good morning kisses from both, she set the breakfast dishes in front of them, allowing them to sate their hunger.

She sat down with a cup of tea, and asked, "Sleep well, you two?"

"Actually, yes. Best I've slept in a long time, thanks. Oh, thank you for the pillows and the cushioning charm. That was brilliant, Molly." He grinned at her, before digging again into his eggs.

Ginny nodded as well, not wanting to emulate Ron's usual table manners. She preferred to make sure she didn't have a mouthful of food before speaking.

Molly looked closely at the teens before her. It seemed that they were even closer than they had been the day before. She ventured a guess as to what had helped with that. "Harry, you're very welcome. I'm just glad that you and Ginny were able to talk. It seems like it's helped you both."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, we discussed a few things. Gin doesn't know all of it quite yet, but..."

The girl in question put her hand over her boyfriend's and told him, "Like I told you last night, when you're ready to talk about the rest of it, I'll be ready to listen."

Leaning over to kiss her on the cheek, he replied, "Thanks, Gin. Soon, I think. It's just not easy to talk about things like that." He got up from the table now. "If you two will excuse me, I'm going to go upstairs and take a shower and change." At the questioning look she gave him, he gave a nod of consent, before turning to go up the stairs.

When they heard the shower start, Molly turned to her daughter. "Can you tell me some of what you two talked about?"

Ginny nodded and said, "You might want to sit down, Mum. This will take a while, and some of it will be a shock."

Upstairs, Harry let the hot water run down his body, washing away the sweat and the residue from the tears of the night before. Last night was the first time he'd ever said anything to anyone, about how he had been mis-treated by his only living blood relations. He hadn't quite told her everything yet, as what had come out had been quite bad in it's own right. He had spoken of the neglect, being used as a punching bag by his cousin, as well as the scorn heaped on him by his aunt, uncle, and everybody else connected with them. He had told her of how they had tried to hide the truth from him, about his parents, as well as about what he was and why strange things always seemed to happen around him. This had been enough for her to take in at one time. He suspected, knowing Molly as he did, as well as knowing how much his revelations had disturbed his girlfriend, that they were probably discussing him right now. Strangely, in contrast with the way he'd thought about being talked about by others in the past, this didn't bother him. He knew that, one way or another, Molly would have found it all out.

After a little while, he turned the water off and stepped from the shower. After drying his body, he wrapped the towel around his waist and regarded himself in the mirror. He was in better shape than he had been over the past few years, having spent a good amount of time over the summer working in the yard, as well as jogging around the neighborhood a bit. He had seen a few people running round the streets around Privet Drive, and thought it might be a good idea to build his stamina up a bit. He remembered how tired he had been after that night at the Ministry, and the running duel that had occured there. Quite a bit of the exhaustion he had felt that night had been emotional, but a fair amount had been physical as well. One side benefit of all the running was that he'd found, if he managed to tire himself out as thoroughly as possible, he slept much more soundly, and with much fewer nightmares. Along with the meditation, it had made for a relatively peaceful summer.

He'd also started to use the weight machines his cousin had in the shed in the backyard. He would never be a bodybuilder, but he had achieved a bit of definition in his chest and abdomen. He fought with his unruly raven hair for a few minutes, before spying a tube of Sleekeazy's hair gel on the counter. He shrugged, thinking anything was worth a shot at this point. He took a small dab of it and smoothed his hair back, running a comb through it. It still didn't stay back that well, but it would have to do. At least it was out of his eyes now. That done, he collected his clothes and headed back to his room, towel still wrapped around his waist.

He walked into his room, closing the door. His clothes went into the hamper in the corner. Just as he was about to take the towel off and start looking for clothes for the day, the young wizard saw a very cute red-headed witch sitting in the chair in the opposite corner. Ginny gave him a mischievous smile, eyebrow raised.

"My, but we seem to be meeting in strange places these days, Mr Potter."

Harry firmly retied the towel he had come so close to removing. He did his best to regain a bit of dignity, at least as much as a pale yellow fluffy towel around the midsection will allow.

"Cover your eyes while I get dressed, or I won't wear those jeans you liked so much."

She seemed to debate for a moment, then reluctantly brought her hands up to cover her face.

"Close them, too. And don't peek."

With a small squeal of frustration, the young witch complied. Chuckling, Harry grabbed his jeans from the bag they were still in and slid them up underneath the towel. At the last moment, he turned away, pulled the towel off, and pulled the jeans the rest of the way up, fastening them. That done, he turned back to face her, seeing that her hands were away from her face now. She had a look on her face that was trying to pass for innocent, but which failed utterly. Her eyes were clearly dancing in a way that said she liked what she saw, and what, if his suspicions were correct, she had seen a moment ago. Shaking his head at her, he sat down on his bed. She moved over to his side and gave him a kiss, totally taking his breath away. Taking one of her small hands in his, Harry looked into his girlfriend's eyes.

"You know, I wish I knew just what it was I did right, to deserve someone like you."

Blushing, Ginny replied, "Oh? Just what would you do if you found that out?"

"I reckon I'd have to keep doing it, every day for the rest of my life." His hand slipping around the back of her head, he pulled her back in for another kiss.

A while later, his heart pounding, other parts of his body responding just as readily, he broke it off. To him, stopping felt like it had taken more force of will than all three tasks in the Tri-Wizard Tournament a little over a year before.

"You know, if we go any farther than this, I'll never be able to look your mum in the eyes again."

Ginny looked back at him, at first disappointed, then realizing he had a very good point. "I guess. But know this, Harry Potter," She fixed him with a very determined, very hungry look. "Once we get on that train in the fall, we _will_ find an empty compartment, and you are fair game, me boy."

Harry wasn't sure if he was scared at this declaration or ecstatic, so he settled on just a touch of apprehension. That way, both bets were covered.

Changing the subject, he asked, "So how did she take it? I assume you told her what I told you about last night."

With a nod, she leaned against him, one arm wrapping around his waist. "She took it about like I did. I think she's taking out her frustrations out in the garden at the moment."

He got up and went to the window, looking out towards the garden. He saw Molly Weasley reach down, grab a garden gnome by the ankle, and without even a windup, toss the nasty little creature a good fifty feet. Harry winced a bit as he saw the next one try to bite her. Not a good idea, that. This one got the windup the other hadn't, and must've flown a good eighty feet.

Chuckling again, he went back to sit beside his girlfriend. "I'd have to say she's imagining them all as Vernon or Petunia."

Ginny laughed at this, and got up from the bed, pulling him by the hand. "As much as I'd like to see you wander about with no shirt on all day, you'd better grab one before we head downstairs."

Rummaging through the bag from the previous day, he found one that had obviously been picked out while he wasn't looking. He pulled it out to see it better. It was black, with white writing on the front that said, "_Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps."_

"Um, Ginny love? Do you think this is really a good one for me? I mean come on, everybody thinks I'm nutters as it is."

She got a wicked grin on her features as she started digging through the bag. The grin only widened when she pulled the next one out. This one said, _"Can't talk now. The squirrels are watching."_

"Alright. That's it then." With this, he pounced, mercilessly tickling her.

Molly was back inside now, and heard the scuffling upstairs. As she heard giggles and laughs in the midst of it, she surmised that nobody was getting hurt, but thought she'd better have a look in anyway. Opening the door to Harry's room, she saw that he clearly had the upper hand, but as this was the first time in a long time she had seen these two laughing so much, she didn't step in. Instead, with a glint in her eyes, she offered the raven haired boy some advice.

"The back of her knees, dear. It's really her most ticklish spot."

"Thanks, Molly." An almost evil grin on his face, Harry advanced on his girlfriend.

Ginny was shocked, to say the least. _"MUM!"_

The matriarch of the Weasley family was thoroughly happy to see her only daughter and the boy she thought of as her seventh son so clearly enjoying themselves. They had each had little enough of happiness over the past few years. If Albus was to be believed, and she had no real reason to doubt him, they would all have a long hard road ahead, trying to get rid of You-Know-Who. She knew as well as anyone, and better than most, just how much honor and integrity that young wizard posessed.

It had been hard for her to accept the role her two youngest children had played, that night at the Ministry. She was proud of them both, of course, as she had raised all of her children to do what they thought was right, not what was easy. As far as they were concerned, following their friend, watching his back when he thought he was rescuing his godfather from the Dark Lord was the right thing to do. They'd known it wouldn't be easy, but there was no way they would have let him walk into a situation like that alone. A big part of it, she knew, was that they all knew, without doubt, that he would have done the same for any one of them. Hadn't he saved Ginny from the Chamber, her first year of school? On top of it, _that_ had been at a time when he only knew her as the cute little girl who had such a horrid crush on him. Merlin knew it had to have been embarassing for the boy, but when he'd found out who was trapped down there, he hadn't hesitated a bit, from what Ron had said.

At the same time, it was absolutely terrifying for her, to know that her children, as well as so many others, would have to fight in this war at some point. She knew, especially as a member of the Order, that Deatheaters wouldn't hesitate to attack children, or anybody else they saw as a target of opportunity. The bogart at Grimmauld Place last summer, oddly enough, had ultimately been a good thing for her. Even though Remus had to get rid of it in the end, it had helped her to get her fears out in the open. This, in it's turn, had forced her to think about the one thing she had never wanted to. She knew how important her family was to her, and that losing any of them might destroy her. After the children had left for school, she and Arthur had stayed up the night round, talking about those fears. She finally realized that night, that what she really feared was that her children might die foolish deaths, alone, never knowing how much they were loved. Her husband had taken her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes. He finally told her that there was no way that could ever happen. Everyone in their family had always known they were loved. How she had shown them in everything she did, the meals she made, the way she worried over them when she saw them, the way she saw to their every need, whether they wanted her to or not. It was self-evident in the jumpers she made everyone for Christmas. In short, in the thousand things she did for her family every day. He ended by telling her that, even if a stray spell (no doubt emanating from the Twins' room) were to permanently erase her voice, there would be no way that anyone around could miss how she felt about them.

When she thought of how Harry had been treated by the Dursley's, it made her blood boil. Especially now that she knew more of the story. She had no doubt that there was more, and wondered if she would ever know the rest. More to the point, she wondered if she really wanted to. What she knew now was almost enough to break her heart. _How_ anybody could ever treat a child that way, especially one as bright, sweet, and generous as he was, was beyond her. She'd always been amazed at how he could come out of an environment like that one intact, much less shining. Molly had to fight with herself at times, when Ron or one of the Twins acted up, not to tell them to act more like Harry. She knew he wasn't perfect, nobody was. It was just hard sometimes, not to compare.

Harry and Ginny came down the stairs a while later in very high spirits, holding hands. As they sat down on a couch in the sitting room, she saw how much in love they were, and it warmed her. Her daughter was sitting across her boyfriend's lap, her arms around him, and she gazed into his emerald eyes with such feeling that, while making Molly glad to see they each had someone to love whole-heartedly, made her just a bit uncomfortable, as well. It was a very adult look, for someone just shy of her fifteenth birthday. Then again, the petite redhead hadn't actually been a child in a long time. Not since the Chamber. She was sure that it was no coincidence that the only time Ginny didn't have the nightmares that had plagued her was when Harry was here.

She hated to disturb the two of them, but she thought she'd better let them know about them message she'd received earlier that morning.

"Harry, Fawkes was here earlier, with a note from Professor Dumbledore. He wanted to let us know that he'll be over later today. There are a few things he wants to go over with you."

He looked up now from Ginny. "Okay, thanks. Any idea what time?"

She rolled her eyes. "If I know Albus Dumbledore, probably right before dinner."

All three laughed at this. It was well known that nobody could resist Molly's cooking, even Severus Snape. Though she encouraged the teens to show the potions master the respect his position deserved, she never had liked him. The difference was that she did respect his abilities, even though she privately concurred with Sirius' opinion of him as a slimy git. The next time she saw him, she fully intended to have a long talk with him, over his treatment of Harry. She had taken on the mission of getting him to see some sense. Even if it took a frying pan to the back of his head, she would ensure that he saw that Harry was in no way like James Potter had been when they had attended school. Harry didn't have one lick of the arrogance his father had at the same age. If anything, he was just a bit too humble at times.

Ginny got up from Harry's lap and went upstairs to get her books. She still had a Transfiguration essay to finish, as well as one for Defense, but would then be finished with schoolwork for the holidays.

Harry got up and came into the kitchen, sitting down at the table. "So where have Ron and Hermione been all day?"

Molly chuckled at this. "Her parents wanted to spend some time with their daughter, as well as her 'special young man.' I have a feeling my poor boy is going to get 'The Talk' from Mr Granger." Shaking her head at the thought, she continued. "You got quite lucky, young man. The family of _your_ girlfriend already knows and loves you, and was just waiting for you to figure out what you felt." She looked on him fondly. "I knew after I'd heard what went on at the Ministry, that you two would end up together. From what I understand, Ginny was the only one you physically stepped in front of, to protect her."

"Well, she was the only one out in the open, after she got hurt. It was my fault she was there, after all. I couldn't let anything happen to her." He shuddered at the memory of that night, then turned pensive. "Maybe I was starting to feel something more then, I honestly don't know. All I know is that, if anything had happened to her because of me, I couldn't have taken it. Too many already have. It's bad enough that Sirius..."

Nodding in sympathy, Molly laid her hand over his, saying, "I know it's not easy for you, dear. When I think of all the people we lost in the first war, it's almost overwhelming at times. Even now, sixteen or more years later. All I can tell you is that, with time, it will get better. Maybe not completely, but enough. Merlin knows your godfather and I didn't always see eye to eye, but one thing we agreed on was you." At the look of surprise this got from the young wizard, she nodded and continued. "We agreed that all we wanted was whatever would make you happy. I have to admit, if he was still alive, I'd owe him an apology and five sickels. The apology would be for thinking he'd ever do anything that would intentionally harm you, and the money would be from a lost bet." She rolled her eyes before going on. "He was convinced you'd fall for Ginevra before the next term started, and I thought it would be at least Christmas."

She thought privately that it would have been worth the five sickels, had Sirius been alive, for the old cur to see the way Harry laughed at this revelation.

"Christmas! That reminds me. Do you have any owl-order catalogs?"

"Of course, dear. They're on the end table next to the couch. What do you need to order?"

The young wizard looked furtively up the stairs, obviously making sure that a certain fiery young witch was out of hearing range. "There were a couple of things I wanted to pick up yesterday that I didn't have a chance to. I want them to be surprised. Is there a catalog for Quality Quidditch Supplies in that pile?"

Molly laughed. "In this household? Are you kidding? It's probably the most dog-eared one over there."

He quickly went over and looked through the magazines, until he found the one he wanted. "Thanks."

As they heard footsteps coming back down the stairs, he shot Molly a look, and she quietly said, "Mum's the word."

Ginny came up to the table, and seeing the looks on her mum and boyfriend's faces, wondered what was up. She looked between the two before asking, "Something I should know about?"

Molly was amazed at the way he could disemble. "Oh, I was just asking if there was anything else in that note Dumbledore sent."

Ginny wasn't sure that was quite all, but let it lay for the moment. She gave Harry her infamous puppy-dog look, and there was no way he could resist helping her with her Defense essay. They finished it early that afternoon, which gave them the rest of the day free.

The two of them lounged on the sofa, looking through catalogs. He would show her different things in the catalogs, asking what she thought, making mental notes of those that really caught her eye. He was starting to think he would have his Cristmas shopping done well in advance this year. It surprised him that he was thinking about this so far in advance, as it was only the middle of August. He found that it made a difference, to have someone he loved, someone he wanted to spoil. Of course, she'd put up some resistance to the idea. Ginny, like the rest of the family, had for too long had to go without, or use second-hand things. As far as Harry was concerned, that was going to stop. He could afford to do things for the family he now considered his, especially with what Sirius had left him.

The two were enjoying themselves so much, that they were surprised when Albus Dumbledore arrived at the Burrow, in a flash of green flame from the fireplace. They got up from the couch to greet him.

"Professor. How are you?"

"Quite well, Harry. Thank you for asking. How are you and Miss Weasley?"

Harry slipped his arm around Ginny's waist, pulling her closer. With a quick look at her, he turned back to the headmaster. "Very well, sir. Thanks."

"Shall we take a seat, Harry? If you would excuse us for a few minutes, Ginny, I need to talk to Harry for a bit."

The young wizard tightened his hold around his girlfriend. "She knows, professor. I told her, Ron, and Hermione, the first morning I was here."

Dumbledore nodded, peering over the top of his half-moon spectacles. "I suspected that you would. You do realize, of course, that it puts them in more danger?"

"Sir, I've had it pointed out to me, that Ginny and Ron would be in danger at any rate, due to the fact that the family refuses to hide their resistance to Voldemort. I was also reminded that Hermione would be at risk too, because of the fact that she's such a powerful witch, and muggle-born on top of it." His gaze hardened. "There's also the fact that the Wanker will have to go through _me,_ to get to them." His look turned to a grin now. "On top of all that, the man in charge of our school is the only wizard old Tommy-Boy truly fears. I'd be telling lies if I said I wasn't worried, as I am. The way I look at it, though, as long as we work together, _that_ idiot hasn't got a chance." His eyes sparked, as he said, "Whatever it takes, Voldemort is going down."

By the time Harry had finished speaking, his brilliant green eyes almost seemed to be glowing, and the determination seemed to roll from him in waves. It wasn't arrogance, nor was it merely confidence. It was something other, more like the young wizard had consciously decided that, if he had to join in this fight, he may as well do it right, and win. It seemed that he had refused to allow for any other possibility. Albus Dumbledore had already known how determined this young man could be, but even he was somewhat surprised at what he saw, and felt here. Despite himself, he was thoroughly convinced that, prophecy or not, Harry could, and would, do what he had just declared. To himself, the headmaster swore again, that he would do everything he could to help his young charge reach that goal.

"Well said, Harry. To be honest, it makes my slightly ancient heart warm, to see you so determined to see this to an end, not to mention the fact that you seem to have accepted what was in that prophecy.

"I'm also relieved to see the change you seem to have undergone over the past month or so. I know that losing your godfather hit you hard, and I was fully expecting, well, something else, let's say."

A wry smile crossed Harry's face. "You were expecting me to be moping around, blaming myself for everything in sight, unable to face the light?"

Dumbledore chuckled at the slightly dramatic description from the young wizard. "Something like that. I think I may know a part of what helped your change, and if I'm correct in my assumption, I believe I may need to have some explanations from Professor Snape." His face had darkened a bit at this. The thought of how his potions master had treated this young man, possibly endangering too many people, was deeply disturbing. He didn't like to have to consider the possibility that he may have made such a huge mistake in judgement, concerning the former Deatheater. That was something that would definitely need to be considered in more depth, later. For now, he turned his attention back to the prodigy before him.

"If you don't mind, Harry, I'd like to test the occlumency shields you seem to have developed."

"Go right ahead, Professor. Truth be told, I'd like to know how effective they are, close up. I know they work at a distance, but they haven't really been tested much."

"Do you need to prepare?"

"No sir. It's become habit to keep them up all the time, now. Whenever you're ready."

Harry immediately felt a tentative probing at the wall he had built around his mind, but knew that nothing went past it. The attempts became stronger as the headmaster did his best to get past. At one point, the probing did seem to almost get close, but at that point, the young wizard decided it was time to try another technique that had been in the occlumency book.

He imagined a steel door, a great riveted thing with no doorknob except on the inside. From there, he pictured a great steel wall flowing aound the inner wall in both directions, until it met itself, seamlessly. He then imagined a sign on the door, in huge red glowing letters. The words on the sign read, _"NO admittance allowed! Turn back now! This means YOU!"_ The attempts at intrusion halted then, as the professor was laughing too much to continue.

"Nicely done, my boy. I think it's safe to say that you will not need the lessons anymore."

"Really? You don't need to test me any further?"

"Harry, without bragging, I believe that I can safely say that I am one of the most accomplished legilemens currently living. I am chargrined to admit that I basically hit you with the strongest attack I possibly could, and you threw it off without so much as breaking a sweat. As long as you can manage to leave those shields in place, you will have no need to worry." He swiped a hand across his forehead, giving away the evidence that, as opposed to the minimum effort Harry had apparently put into repelling the mental intrusion, the headmaster had indeed exerted himself with the attempt he'd made.

Ginny got up and went to the kitchen, bringing back glasses of lemonade for all three of them.

Gratefully accepting his glass, Dumbledore drank deeply of his. "Thank you, Miss Weasley. That was much appreciated."

He turned back to Harry now. "I would also like to discuss the other new ability you have developed. The ability to sense magical auras, though not unheard of, is exceedingly rare. Indeed, there are only a few people known to have the ability, at this point in time. We could count them on the fingers of one hand. The only other one known to be residing in England, in fact, is our own Madame Pomfrey.

"To my knowledge, though, she only senses the color of an aura. Part of her medical training, I believe, was using that as gift as an aid to diagnosis." He leaned back now, his fingers steepled together. "You, on the other hand, are able to sense considerably more, from what Miss Tonks mentioned."

"Well, yeah. I get a combination of feel, scent or flavor, and color. Ginny, for example, is cinnamon sugar, velvet, and ruby red."

"I wonder if you would mind taking a look at my aura, and tell me what you see."

Harry looked at his professor, unfocusing his eyes. What he saw and sensed surprised him in it's intensity. It was a blindingly white light, diamond, and lemon. After a moment, he closed his eyes, to try to shut it out. It was almost too much to take in. The white was like looking into the heart of a sun. A split second later, he could feel a new level adding itself to the occlumency shields already in place. If the others were like walls, whether brick or steel, this was something completely different. The only thing he could compare it to was something from one of the muggle movies they'd watched. He searched his mind for the words. The he had it. They were like a set of blast doors, completely impervious, to anything. They cut off all sensation. Touch, sight, sound, smell, taste, all were gone.

The only thing remaining, seeming almost as loud/harsh/bright, were emotions. He could sense them all around. He felt his own, mostly bewilderment, shock, and fear. From in front of him, where he knew Dumbledore to be, were surprise, and strangely enough, gratification. To his left, he felt more surprise, a touch of fear, but mostly, love.

This was what he focused on. The one he felt that mix from had to be Ginny. At realizing this, he fixed on that love, shining out over everything else, like a beacon. He let it guide him back to himself. As her love shone on him, he realized he could allow his senses to return now, albeit slowly. Now, he focused all of his attention on the presence next to him, letting the love flow back from him to her, along with the gratitude he felt. He knew that she had stabilised him, brought him back, even if it wasn't something conscious for her. His senses fully returned, he finally opened his eyes again, turning to look at her again. Just a tinge of her aura came through, now. He felt the soft velvet in it, saw the ruby red color he'd come to associate with her, smelled the slightly spicy yet sweet essence of cinnamon mingled with sugar. He said to her, "Thank you, love." and slumped over onto her lap, unconscious.

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Slowly, gingerly, Harry opened his eyes. Bright light was streaming in the window. One thing he'd never realized was how obnoxiously loud birds could be in the morning. The next thing that registered was the fact that, for the second time running, he woke up to see beautiful auburn hair on his chest, surrounding the face of the girl he loved. This time though, he was under the covers of his bed, and she was laying on top of them, wearing a dressing gown. He barely had time to be surprised, before she started to wake.

Ginny stretched as she awoke, with an almost feline grace. Watching her back arch, her legs stretched out, was the most intimate thing the young man had ever seen. It was obvious that she didn't realize yet that she wasn't alone on the bed. He could almost see awareness percolating through her brain, the way she started to sense what was around her. Her arms had been folded in front of her as she'd slept, but now, one arm draped across his bare chest. Her fingers started to move in circles, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Harry had to hold back a laugh when it finally dawned on Ginny, where she was, and who she was sleeping on. Her hand suddenly stilled, as she came instantly fully awake. She shot up, so that she was sitting up on the edge of the bed, almost falling off in the process. Only Harry's arm going around her waist, holding her back, kept her from falling to the floor. Her face was the reddest he'd seen it since the morning of his first visit to the Burrow. He tightened his arm around her waist.

"Good morning. Missed your favorite pillow, did you?"

If anything, she went even a deeper shade of red. "Actually, I wanted to make sure you were alright, after you keeled over last night that way. It was all Mum could do, to keep Dumbledore from flooing Madame Pomfrey." Her color started to fade now. "I think she was quite insulted at the thought that she couldn't take care of one of her own." Looking at him, she said, "That's how she thinks of you, you know. Far as she's concerned, you're another Weasley, just with black hair instead of red."

Harry sat up now, careful to keep the sheet around his waist. He still wasn't sure what he was wearing, if anything. It was better not to take any chances, if anybody were to poke their head into his room, to check on him. His arm still around Ginny, he pulled her close for a good morning kiss. They parted before it went any further. Harry still had no intention of breaking the trust Arthur and Molly had in him.

"Alright now, you'd best get out of here. I don't know if I have anything on under this sheet, and I need a shower."

The pretty young redhead looked speculatively for a moment down at the indicated bed covering. She looked like she was ready to satisfy her curioosity, but Harry only pulled the sheet tighter to him.

He pointed at the door, grinning. "Out now, before you get us both in trouble."

She shot him a mischievous look, making him all the more nervous. "I suppose, as I don't want to give my darling older brothers reason to kill you, the next time they see you." With that, she turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Harry got out of bed, discovering he still wore his boxers, which was a bit of a relief. As he got ready to head to the shower, he thought that it was shaping up to be an interesting day.

**A/N:** Whew! Finally done with this chapter. I've known for the past week and a half what I wanted to happen in this one, but getting it out onto the keyboard was the hard part, this time around. There's also the fact that I've been doing a lot of catching up on some of the fics I've been following myself, so time wasn't exactly on my side this week. Hmmm...I seem to have found enough time for plausible excuses though, eh? Oh bugger...was that out loud? I hate when that happens. I hope everybody enjoys it. A quick side note, for those who have been following my other ongoing fic, Perspective. I will be starting a new chapter for that story in another day or so. I will be wrapping that one up soon, though I will be introducing a few new characters, who you will probably see in a follow-up story.

Just a few quick replies to my faithful reviewers.

Lady of Masbolle: Here you go, now please call off the jelly babies. They've joined forces with the plot ferrets, to wreak havoc with my puter. Glad you've enjoyed it so far.

Addax: Good point. When I envisioned that scene, it was with requesting Tonks casting a privacy charm or two. She must've forgotten...or something...argh.

GiGiFanFic: Thank you, as always dear lady. I know what you mean about Mondays. There's just something evil about that particular day of the week. As for that other fic, see above ;-)

Sugarbear: Good guess.

Sibling Creature: Not to worry, the shopping isn't over yet. He just likes to surprise people. On the letter, thanks. I worked hard at getting the tone of that right. Glad to see it worked.

scottpesj1: Glad you like it. Good guess on the twins, by the way.

Tanydwr: It seems like everybody knew where I was going with the Star Wars reference. I just liked the idea so much, it had to go in there. T-shirts can be fun at times, especially if you can find one that inspires a look on people's faces that straddled the line between "Huh?!?" and "AAAAH!" hehehe

Last but not least,

Sorrow1: You make some very good points concerning how quickly the two couples got together, and ordinarily, I'd agree. However, there is a somewhat logical explanation, which will come out over the next couple of chapters. All I'll say right now is that is has to do with Harry's occlumency self-training, as well as other things that will become clearer as well. I know, I know...clear as mud right now, right? Never fear, all will be revealed. At least as much as I can in a simple PG rated fic. hehehe

As far as everything with the Dursleys and Albus throwing away the blood protection, I think that, for all of Dumbledore's power, he wouldn't want to mix too many newer kinds of magic in with what I see as a form of very ancient blood magic, being used to protect our favorite hero. There's really no way to discern how they would interact. Granted, there's very ancient magic protecting the grounds of Hogwarts, and all kinds of magic are used there on a daily basis, but that is an essentially magical place, and magic is woven into the very fabric of existence there. Also, IMO, it would take a hugely powerful memory charm, to over-ride the fierce hatred Vernon has for his nephew.


	6. Chapter 6: Home Truths

**Disclaimer:** No matter what the Plot Ferrets say, I am not hidden away in a love nest with Ms Rowling, I did not secretly write any of her books, and chocolate coated rats are not at all tasty. Not even if it's Swiss chocolate.

There are times when it seems as if owl post, much like any other type of delivery, is governed primarily by the special magic known as Murphy's Law. The letter or package that is the most anticipated always seems to take the longest to arrive. This morning, August the tenth, was no exception.

Two days after their expedition to Diagon Alley, Harry had sent an owl order form to Quality Quidditch Supplies. He'd spotted the new Nimbus Pro Chaser Edition, along with the sign telling that it was the exclusive broom of the English, Irish, Bulgarian, and Brazilian national teams. It was supposed to be a good blend of speed, stability, and maneuverability. He'd also seen the look on Ginny's face when she'd spied it through the window, and that, more than any testimonial, was all he needed. Looking through _Which Broomstick_, he'd read the specs on it and gone through the comparison tests, seeing that it beat the new Firebolt C.E. by a mile. The order form had gone off while Ginny was in the shower that morning, and he made sure to let the shop know that it had to be in his hands by the tenth. He wanted to make sure he had it put safely away, because Ron had told him that she was extremely persistent when it came to birthday or Christmas presents. Apparently, she usually knew well in advance what most of them would be and had the best instincts for finding hidden things of any of the Weasley family, including the twins.

As a result of all of this, Harry was up early on the morning before his girlfriend's birthday. Truth be told, he was starting to get a bit nervous. He'd heard her door open a few minutes ago, followed by the soft footfalls she made on the way to the loo. It wouldn't be long before she was done in the shower, and he knew it would be difficult to think of a plausible reason not to let her into his room first thing in the morning, as had been their habit lately. Thankfully, just as he heard the shower stop, two large barn owls showed up with a long box. He stepped back from the window so they could glide in and drop it off. They were off again before he could thank them, and he quickly shrunk the box and tucked it into the back of his underwear drawer.

If it'd been almost anyone else, he could've just placed an aversion charm on it, or disillusioned it for that matter, but he was fairly sure that wouldn't work on Ginny, whose formative years had been spent in close proximity to Fred and George. Ron? Maybe. Not with Ginny, though.

As he was musing on this, his door opened and in walked the subject of these thoughts. Her hair was still wet from the shower, she wore no makeup, and she had donned a simple t-shirt adorned with the legend, '_Hand over the chocolate, and nobody gets hurt...much...,__'_ over her cut-off jeans, but she was perfect to him. Ginny walked right up to him and draped her arms over his neck, his arms around her waist. She laid her cheek against his chest, breathing deeply. After a moment, she looked up at him, and he leaned down to kiss her. It was a short kiss, but intense. When it was done, she grinned at him.

"Best way to start off the day, I do believe. At least until Mum starts letting me sleep in here like I want to."

Harry gave a short laugh. "Yeah, that's going to happen, Gin."

She shrugged, still smiling. "Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?"

"Believe me, love, you're not the only one who's dreaming of it." He gave her another quick kiss, then pulled away to put a shirt on. When he turned back to her, she was pouting.

"Fine, then. Just ruin my fun. Put a shirt on. See if I care."

He rolled his eyes. "Somehow, I don't think your mum would be too happy to see me shirtless at the breakfast table. The rest probably wouldn't be too thrilled, either."

She wasn't giving in. "So? They don't have to look."

The two of them bantered back and forth as they made their way down to the kitchen, and through breakfast. The only thing that made them stop the mutual teasing for the moment was the reactions of the others around them. Hermione was clearly amused, while Ron looked almost offended.

"Oi! You two don't get to do that!"

Ginny turned to him, one eyebrow raised and her arms crossed. "Oh? And why not, dear brother?"

He grinned and put his arm around Hermione. "Because that's _our_ act."

Everybody rolled their eyes at this, including the twins, who were around most mornings for breakfast, as neither could cook. In fact, both had been banned by their landlord from even attempting it, ever since their last foray into the culinary arts. Though the incident in question had been months ago, the poor woman still couldn't look at kippers and scrambled eggs without flinching, and the less said about goat cheese, the better. At least she'd finally gotten past that unfortunate twitch.

Fred said, "At least when these two do it -"

"They're entertaining -" George continued.

"And kind of cute."

"At least they don't - "

"Require earplugs to be around -"

"Or inspire a search for an empty broom cupboard -"

"To lock them in."

Even Molly had to laugh at that, though she tried not to.

"Actually, you don't know how close that came to happening." Ginny said.

Harry joined in, looking at Ron. "Good job you confessed when you did, mate. You know we would've done it, rather than listen to that in the tower next term."

Ron gulped, looking a bit nervous for a moment. He looked between his best mate and sister, wondering for a moment if getting these two together was such a good idea, after all. Of course, now that they were a couple, it'd be infinitely safer to leave them that way, instead of trying to get them back apart. Less painful, too. The youngest male Weasley quickly changed the subject.

"So, you two fancy some flying after breakfast?"

His sister rolled her eyes at this. "What do you think, Captain Obvious? If I'm going to try out for Chaser next year, I'd best get some practice in. Like you could keep Harry off his broom, anyway."

Ron shrugged. "If there's one thing I've learned over the past few years, it's not to assume anything when it comes to Harry. I mean, who would've thought he'd actually get a clue about girls?"

Hermione, seeing the look in Harry's eyes at this, thought it would be a good idea to cut in at this point."Ron, you're hardly one to talk about _anyone else_ getting a clue. It took you four years to figure out I'm a girl. Anyway, why don't we head outside? I'll just get the book I was reading last night, and-"

Her boyfriend interrupted, saying, "Uh uh, Hermione. I'm getting you on a broom if it's the last thing I do."

"Ronald, you know I don't like flying. Why do we always come back to this?"

"Harry and I were talking last night, and he brought something up. We all know that the next time we fight the Tosser and his goons, they'll exploit any and all weaknesses they can find. On top of that, you never know when we might be lured into an area where we can't floo out, Apparate, or use portkeys. In a situation like that, it may well turn out that running or flying could be the only way of getting away. I just want to make sure that we're on as equal a footing we can be. Besides," He flashed a grin at her. "You just might find out you enjoy it."

Presented with logic like this, she couldn't find a way to refuse. Truthfully, she was a bit stunned that he'd actually managed to beat her, Hermione, with logic. She shook her head and decided that it would be better to concede gracefully. She couldn't resist just one little dig, though.

"Fine. I'll try it." She saw his grin widening. "But, _you_ get to be the one to explain to your mum and mine, when I fall off and break every bone in my body." Seeing how pale he went at that almost made losing the argument worthwhile.

Both Harry and Ginny snickered at the other two as they led the way to the broomshed.

Just as Hermione was shakily leaving the safety of Terra Firma, a meeting was getting underway in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. The topic of this gathering was the training for the leader of the little group currently soaring above the Burrow. Once everybody was seated, Dumbledore brought the meeting to order. In attendance were the faculty members of his school, as well as a few select members of the Order of the Phoenix.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice. The reason I've called for this meeting is, quite simply, that it's been pointed out to me quite recently that I've been remiss in ensuring that Mr Potter receive the training he will need to defeat Lord Voldemort. Aside from the natural talents he's displayed already, there are others that are just now manifesting."

Not surprisingly, the interruption came from his Potion's professor. "Natural talents? Headmaster, I really must protest. Potter can hardly be called 'talented.' I mean, this _is_ the same student who had such trouble mastering a simple _accio_ charm, is it not? He's hopeless when it comes to Potions, passable in Herbology, is unable to manage even the fundamentals of Occlumency and is pitiful in Defense. _How_ can you say he's naturally talented?" Thinking his point had been made, Snape sat back in his chair, his customary sneer firmly in place.

The surprise came when the person speaking in his defense wasn't the one he'd expected. Instead of McGonagall, it was Flitwick who spoke. "Severus, the variant of the summoning charm Mr. Potter was working so diligently on in his fourth year wasn't simply calling a book or a feather from a desk, or across the room. It was a way to bring his broom to him, from over a half mile away. Have you ever done any research into the Firebolt series of brooms?"

Snape drawled, "I have no interest in them. They are an international standard broom, far above what ninety percent of the public can afford or is willing to spend on a broom. They are especially designed for Quidditch, which I have next to no interest in, except as a way to prove my House's superiority."

The diminutive Charms professor smiled and replied, "I thought as much. One of the reasons they are considered international standard is the fact that the charms used on them are specifically designed to conform to all guidelines for League play. They have the most robust anti-tampering charms available, including anti-summoning charms. You may recall that Mr. Potter's Firebolt was confiscated by our departed and unlamented Defense professor, Dolores Umbridge. Before it was given back to him earlier this summer, Minerva, Albus, Rolanda Hooch and myself ran a battery of tests on that broom, to ensure that she wasn't able to tamper with it while it was in her possession. I had some concerns about that, as she seems to be just slightly less vindictive than your former master. What I found astounded me. All of the charms placed by the manufacturer were still in place. Indeed, they seem to be stronger than those put on during manufacture. When I visited their headquarters, they told me that the charms grow in strength with the affinity the owner has with the broom. In other words, the better a flier someone is, the better protected the broom is. I think we can all agree, even you, Severus, that Harry Potter is the most natural flier any of us has seen in all our time here. It follows then, that the protective charms on his broom have to be the best of any broom we've seen yet. So, if he doesn't have a high natural talent, how would he have been able to summon a broom with an anti-summoning charm on it? Bit of a paradox, isn't it?"

Before Snape could even start to think about a response to this, Alastor Moody's gravelly voice was heard. "Pitiful in Defense? Don't tell me you've been listening to that Umbridge toad. I've heard all about her, and _she's_ the one pitiful in that subject. I've known her for twenty years, ever since she was a student here. During her OWL year, _I _was the Defense professor, and she had absolute bollocks for marks in the class. She might've done a bit better, but she spent too much time mooning after Quirinius Quirrel. That name ring a bell?

"True, Potter does have his shortcomings in Defense, but I've never met a student who didn't. He's got a lot more on the ball than ninety percent of the students that walk through those doors, even with all the crap he has riding on his shoulders. Snape, you're talking about a student who killed a sixty foot basilisk at twelve years old, knocked _your_ skinny arse nearly through a wall at thirteen and cast a fully corporeal _Patronus_ and dueled Voldemort to a standstill at fourteen. From what I understand, he dueled Snake-Face only after getting bitten by and defeating an Acromantula and a Blast-Ended Skrewt, getting stabbed in the arm, _and _being put under the _Cruciatus._ At fifteen, he and five friends rode part of a herd of Thestrals to the Ministry and dueled against most of the inner circle of the Death Eaters. Only one of those Death Eaters got away that night, and she only did because Voldemort took her with him. From what Albus says, he also led a study group last year in Defense, due to the incompetence of the Ministry -appointed instructor, and the students who learned from him were the only ones in the school, bar a few Ravenclaws, to get O's on their Defense Against the Dark Arts OWLs or NEWTs. To be honest, I'd rather have Potter and his friends next to me in a fight, than most of the active- duty Aurors currently lounging around the coffee room at the Ministry." Sitting behind him, Tonks and Kingsley nodded fervently. Both of them had seen those students in action, and agreed whole-heartedly.

"As for Potions, Severus," came from McGonagall, "I'd suggest that you take a good hard look at the OWL scores, and ask yourself how a student who was given the barest minimum of instruction in 'the subtle arts' could manage O's in your class as well." Snape started to interrupt, only to be stopped by his colleague's stern visage staring him down. "Yes, we know all about how you treat students from houses other than your own. I also know how you treat Mr. Potter in particular, and hold grudges until well after the fact and against the wrong people. You really must learn how to tell the difference between dead people and those still alive. Harry is not James Potter, and never even had the chance to know him _or_ Lily. You treat Harry as if he was as arrogant as your little prince, Draco Malfoy. If there is a student who fits the profile you seem determined to prove Mr. Potter personifies, it's the Malfoy child. I've never seen anyone more arrogant, swaggering, and stuck up than _that_ little ponce. If anything, Harry seems a bit too humble at times, all too willing to forsake the limelight for his own accomplishments. Unlike Mr. Malfoy, Harry Potter has accomplished a great many things in just the few scant years he's been among us. Most people would be content to rest upon their laurels, especially if they had the monetary resources to fall back on that he does. If he wished, he could finish his schooling, retire to one of the properties granted to him by both his parents' and Sirius Black's wills, and never lift a finger again. The money left to him, though I'm not sure he's even aware of this, is enough to buy and sell all of London, several times over. Even if he does know the true extent of his fortune, I doubt that it means much to him, except as a means of providing for the people he loves. In case you weren't aware, he's decided that he wants to become an Auror upon finishing here. That's possibly one of the most difficult, strenuous, and thankless jobs the wizarding world offers. In addition, those that do it are in no way compensated for it to the level that they should be. In speaking with him at his career counseling, as well as since then, I have made sure that he is aware of all of this. He doesn't care. When I asked him why not, he told me that his greatest wish, other than a family of his own, is that no other family should ever be split asunder at the whim of, and I quote, "Some wanker in search of power." That no other child should have to deal with being orphaned and left in the care of people who despise him, and treat him worse than the Malfoys treat their house-elves. Severus Snape, I will hear _no more_ of you denigrating that young man is my presence!" Seething, the head of Gryffindor House took her seat again, glaring at her erstwhile colleague.

Albus Dumbledore had watched all of this with no small amount of trepidation. While his Potions professor was widely acknowledged to be without peer in his knowledge of his subject, the Headmaster had heard all too many reports of his treatment of non-Slytherin students over the years, most especially the Golden Trio, as they were known. Due to Snape's usefulness as a spy, as well as his knowledge of useful and obscure potions, Dumbledore had turned a blind eye to much of his misconduct, hoping his conduct would improve. Well, that would end.

"Severus, you and I will have much to discuss after this meeting has concluded. I feel that there are things we need to go over, regarding your attitude and conduct concerning those students not under the banner of your House. I realize that you have the responsibility of providing the image of being set against the Light, as a great many of your own students have one or more parents in the service of their Dark Lord, but I do believe that it may be time to practice moderation in this. This is one of the things we will discuss later. The only reason I bring it up now in front of your colleagues is that they are some of the people who have mentioned these issues to me in the past, and I need them to know that things will change.

"The other thing I wanted to mention, in the context of Harry's training, is the fact that you will no longer need to provide any instruction for him in the art of Occlumency. He has, despite some _setbacks,_" here, the venerable wizard looked at Snape over the rims of his half-moon spectacles, letting him know that he had a fair idea of what those setbacks were as well as who was the cause of them, "mastered Occlumency to a degree I haven't seen in a century. I doubt that even Tom would be able to erect mental shields as formidable as Harry's. Thus, your tuition on that subject will no longer be necessary. In order to maintain security, and for your own protection, I ask that you leave and return later. I will have Fawkes notify you when this meeting is over."

Snape swept out of the office without uttering a single word. He was obviously fuming that he'd been talked to in such a fashion. He'd effectively been read the riot act by people he'd never expected it from, and in a surprisingly logical fashion. He'd been given a great deal to think over. It was a good thing there were no students in the castle at this point, or they probably would have been scared out of a few years of growth with the way he stalked through the empty corridors. If nothing else, the rumors that had sprung up periodically over the years about his being a vampire would have gotten just a bit more reinforcement.

As he reached his dungeon domain, the meeting in the Headmaster's office continued on. By the end of the day, it was decided that Flitwick would teach Harry and his friends dueling charms and techniques, having been a dueling champion for nearly twenty years running. He would also work with Bill Weasley to teach Harry and Hermione about Curse-Breaking, as well as advanced ward construction. The reasoning was that it would be more useful for them to learn first how the wards went together, so that they could dismantle them easier if the need arose. Albus would work with Harry on learning Legilimency, and with Ron on strategic planning. Strategy and planning seemed to be more his forte than anything else.

Poppy Pomfrey would work with Harry on his aura reading skills and his newly emerging empathic abilities, as well as teaching Ginny and Hermione about healing techniques and potions. Minerva would work with all four of them in advanced transfiguration of small items into larger ones, for use as shields, as well as other spells that would be useful in combat or emergency situations. She'd also be working with them to see if any of the four would be capable of the _Animagus_ transformation.

Moody, Tonks and Kingsley would get them started on a physical fitness regimen to get them into better shape, as well as teaching them all some Auror- level spells that the others wouldn't be expected to know. It wasn't that any of the four students were physically out of shape so much, as it would be better for them to be in better physical condition than any of the Death Eaters they'd eventually have to face. They'd also be teaching them how to Apparate, as well as special techniques that went with that, known only to the Aurors.

None of the adults here were eager for their charges to have to do battle with Voldemort's forces any time soon, but they all knew it was inevitable. All four of them had done so in the past, and there was no reason to believe that would change any time soon. There was also the fact of the prophecy. Harry had given Dumbledore permission to reveal the contents of it to the people who would be training him and his friends, as he wanted to make sure that they knew what they were getting into, as well as knowing how seriously he took it himself. All were bound with a magical oath not to reveal it to anybody without Harry's express permission, so the knowledge should still be safe from discovery. Much like a secret-keeper who held a _Fidelius_, the type of magical oath they swore was protected, even from a Master Legilimens. The same oath had been extracted from Harry's friends the day before.

Once the meeting was finished and the remaining faculty had gone, Albus left his office behind and made his way down to the dungeons, for a long-overdue discussion with his Potions professor. He needed to find out exactly what methods were used last term in the attempts to teach Harry Occlumency. He knew for a fact that the shields that Harry had displayed were nothing that Severus would have taught. They were much too straight-forward for the Slytherin mind to find of any use. Hopefully, though, they should prove quite frustrating to the heir of that esteemed House. Ruminating on this, he almost didn't realize that he'd reached his destination. Dumbledore stepped through the door of the Potions classroom, ready to confront Severus Snape. What he saw there wasn't quite what he expected. Snape was sitting at his desk, leaning back in his high-backed chair, looking thoughtfully down into a tumbler of Firewhiskey.

"Severus?" queried the venerable wizard.

It was a moment before the younger man answered. He raised his glass, taking a slow sip. Finally, he looked up at Dumbledore with an expression the Headmaster hadn't seen reflected in this face before, an expression of uncertainty. Seeing that look gave Albus hope that things could be salvaged.

"Headmaster, I have to admit to no small amount of confusion. From the time that I heard that James Potter's son would be attending, all I could think was that he would be as arrogant, as full of himself, as bullying, and trouble making as his father, my old nemesis." He dropped his eyes back to his glass as he continued. "As loath as I am to admit it, the dressing down I received in your office a little while ago has forced me to re-examine a few things, about myself and the way I've treated Mr. Potter. I even went so far as to look back in my Pensieve at the first day I had him in class. I was trying to reassure myself that I was right, due to his behavior in that first class. I mean, he was writing, for Merlin's sake, while I was talking. That's not the usual, at least not in the first class. I have to admit that I was curious about what could be so important as to distract him from what I was saying. While I was in the memory, I stood behind him to see what it was. You can't imagine my shock when I realized that he was actually _taking notes. _That would be something I'd expect from the Granger girl, or possibly from Miss Weasley. I realized that he was actually taking things much more seriously than I'd ever imagined, and that I'd followed that up by asking questions that he couldn't have known, as they weren't to be covered until the next year or possibly later., I finally saw what I've been doing. With what I know now about his childhood, it's obvious that he wouldn't have had any way to study the material beforehand for first year, much less anything later." His head shot up now, something having clicked into place for him. "Albus, how much do you know about what his childhood really was?"

Dumbledore was startled by the question, especially considering the source. His answer was more than a bit hesitant. "I know after speaking with Molly Weasley a few nights ago that his childhood with the Dursleys couldn't have been pleasant. Why?"

Snape nodded, having suspected that his mentor couldn't have known the true situation with the young Potter scion. "When I had my sessions with him with the Occlumency training, I used Legilimency to try to break into his mind. I, well, to be truthful, used more force than was necessary, which I now regret. In the process, I saw what I hope were the worst parts of his life growing up. At first, I'd thought that he'd seen into my own childhood and was trying to mock me. That only made me angrier at him, and I used even more force to break in." Albus, having a fair amount of knowledge of how Severus had been treated by his father, paled as he realized the implications of this. "Headmaster, I am going to ask you to do something that I normally would not. I would like you to use Legilimency to take a look at what I saw in his memories. I want you to know everything I've seen of him. I think that it might aid you in avoiding the same mistakes you admit you've made with him already, and worse."

Dumbledore peered at his Potions professor over his half-moon spectacles and asked, "Are you quite sure, Severus?" At the nod he got in response, he silently cast the spell to allow him access to the younger man's mind. The memories he sought were at the fore, and quite easy to find. These were quite possibly the most disturbing memories he'd ever had occasion to witness.

_A huge man__ was __bearing down on the small dark-haired child, who was curled up in a ball on the floor, his arm at an unnatural angle. His foot, seeming huge from this perspective, __struck __out at the child's back, hard. "You freak!" he thundered. "You ungrateful little freak! Do you think we want you here one bit? Do you?" The huge foot __came __for the child again._

_The same child, a bit older, __was __being thrown bodily into an extremely small cupboard, his leg snapping as he hit the back wall. The door __was __slammed shut, the click of a lock clearly audible. Even at the child's young age, it was obvious that there was nowhere__ near__ enough room for him. A grate slid open high on the door and Vernon's face pressed against it as he insulted the boy inside__ and told him__ that he would be locked in here for the next three days, no food __and no__ water, not even allowed out for visits to the restroom. That was what the coffee can in the corner was for._

_Vernon_ _was __dragging a twelve__-__year__-__old Harry up the stairs to the smallest bedroom by his arm, nearly wrenching the arm from it__s socket as they went. __Harry was thrown into his room and collapsed__ under a window with bars across it. The door __was __slammed and multiple locks __were __thrown. Harry looked emaciated, as though he hadn't eaten in quite some time._

Many more memories like this one flowed before his mind's eye, each worse than the rest. Each of these visions took their toll on the old wizard, showing him just how bad it had been for his young protégé, how much of a mistake had been made by Dumbledore's handling of the situation. He'd been warned, as long ago as the night he'd placed Harry there, but hadn't listened, dismissing Minerva's concerns as simple prejudice against Muggles. He should have known better, should have checked on the poor boy. By the time he'd finished viewing it all, he was slumped in the chair, all twinkle gone from his cerulean eyes. A tear streamed down his face and into his beard, as the impact of it all hit him. With a flash of flames, Fawkes appeared in front of him and alighted on his shoulder. His familiar nuzzled his head against Albus' cheek and crooned encouragement. After a few moments, the phoenix song broke through and comforted the tired leader of the Light. He turned his head toward his companion and brought a hand up to stroke the feathers at the bird's breast. The two of them sat that way for a few moments, Dumbledore taking strength from Fawkes. Finally, he gave a decisive nod and turned to the younger man.

"Right, then. Severus, I do not expect you to become fast friends with Harry any time soon, but I do expect you to treat him like any other student in your class. He came by his OWL score in Potions honestly, so please do not make any protest regarding his enrolling in your class this year. As for Occlumency, he will no longer require your instruction in that subject. One of the subjects that we covered in the meeting after you left was the fact that he has, on his own, mastered the subject. He has the capability to erect a shield that even I cannot penetrate, even with direct eye contact. I doubt that Voldemort would be able to either at this point. We still need to have a discussion of your methods of instruction used in his tutelage, but that will be a matter for another day. In the meantime, I must take myself to the Burrow, in order to advise Mr. Potter of the manner of instruction he will receive over the remainder of the summer holidays." By the time he'd finished, the twinkle was back in place. "I have promised him that I would no longer conceal vital information from him. I have to admit that I am greatly heartened to see that you are giving some thought to your behavior of late. I can only hope that it continues." Severus only nodded with a slightly resigned air as the Headmaster peered at him over those spectacle of his, the twinkle back in his eyes, before leaving.

August eleventh dawned extremely early for Harry Potter, as he hadn't slept much the night before. For once, it wasn't due to nightmares or visions, but to the celebration that would be held today. It was Ginny's fifteenth birthday, and there would be a party for her. He'd found out from the twins that she had asked that her birthday not be celebrated starting the summer after her first year at school, and had made sure that nobody raised a fuss over it since. Of course, what the two of them conveniently forgot to mention was that the reason she didn't want a party was that she didn't want to have to worry about spending the entire day looking over her shoulder to avoid anything they might do to prank her. After all, she remembered some of the birthday pranks they'd pulled in the past, all too well. It had taken nearly an entire day the year before she went to Hogwarts for her to change back, after being changed into a squirrel. Of course, the day after that _had_ been when she'd learned the fabled Bat-Bogey Hex, so it wasn't a totally wasted experience.

Harry decided that it was time to change that, and talked the rest into it, as well as letting them know he'd take the blame if she got upset over it. The talks he'd had with her brothers had make it eminently clear just how much they feared her temper, as well as how she chose to express it when the need arose. They'd also sworn that there was no way they'd try to prank her again. Ron may have issue with spiders due to the two of them, but they still couldn't look at a squirrel without cringing. No matter what the twins said, he doubted that she'd ever make good on her threat of changing them into Bludgers and taking them to the next World Cup match, but it certainly kept them in line.

The young wizard dressed and made his way down to the kitchen, enjoying the feel of the early morning cool on his skin. As warm as it had been lately, it was a welcome change. He quickly put on a pot of water for tea and a pot of coffee, and then set to work. He'd spent a fair amount of time over the past couple weeks finding out what Ginny's favorite foods were, especially for breakfast. While he may not have qualified as a gourmet chef, his time with the Dursleys had ensured that he knew his way around the kitchen, and that he was a fair cook. He'd never starve at any rate. Harry had also spent some time with Molly, working with her to see how the Wizarding equivalent of the Muggle appliances he was used to worked. As he started getting everything ready for this morning's breakfast, the teen mulled over what the Headmaster has presented to him last night. The training program that had been outlined to him sounded very thorough, and would enable him to use his powers, including the newly emerging ones effectively, both in the brewing war and afterward. The young wizard was gratified that the adults around him were finally taking him seriously. It would make taking care of everything he knew he had to that much easier. He wasn't much chuffed that Snape had shared the information he had with Dumbledore, but knew why he had, and wouldn't call him on it. Time would tell whether the Slytherin Head of House would keep his word as to how he would treat Harry in class, but it would be nice if it worked. If not, Harry could always owl the twins for assistance.

Harry was just placing the last plate on the table and making sure that he'd cast warming or cooling charms where appropriate, when he felt a warm body press against him from the back, and two slender arms wraps themselves around his waist. A smirk came to his eyes as he addressed who was behind him.

"You know, Hermione, if we keep this up, Ron or Ginny is bound to find out about us."

A bite on one ear was the only response to his joke.

"Ow! Good morning, Gin. Happy Birthday, love."

From behind him, he heard a soft, "Hmph! Hermione. Please. I know you knew it was me to begin with. For one thing, she's much larger up top than I am, and I'm reliably informed that even the denser males of the species can discern that kind of difference."

While she was speaking, her boyfriend had turned in her arms to face her, and kissed her as soon as she paused. When they stopped for the moment, she gave a throaty chuckle. "Also, you should have seen the look on her face when I described how you kiss me. Her face kind of scrunched up and she shut her eyes, as if she was trying not to picture it. I thought it best to stop describing at that point."

Harry was amused at the mental image, but gave her a mock offended look. "So, she was _that_ offended by the thought of kissing me, eh? I should feel hurt."

Laughing, Ginny replied, "I asked her about that, and she said that she thought that it would be rather like kissing a brother or something. Although, she did say that if she didn't feel the way she does about you, she'd have jumped you long ago. The she got this weird look on her face and said something about having "squicked" herself, turned to the wall, and went to sleep." Both of them laughed at the mental image, as well as Hermione's choice of words. It was then that the petite redhead looked over his shoulder at the table, and her eyes went wide. "Harry? Did you make all of this?"

On the table were rashers of bacon, plates of bangers, a towering stack of pancakes, a huge platter of scrambled eggs, fresh fruits, and scones straight from the oven. Next to the place where she usually sat for meals was even a plate with fried tomatoes, mushrooms, and kippers. He'd even made sure that the jam in front of her plate was elderberry, the only kind that she'd put on her toast.

Nodding, Harry replied, "Erm, yeah. I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to do something nice for your birthday. I know you don't normally want it celebrated and all, but I was-mmph!"

The last sound was created because he could no longer speak, his girlfriend having attached herself to him at the lips. She had jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms firmly around his neck. His hands went almost automatically to the most natural place to support her, prompting an interesting squeaking sound from the young witch. They would have explored this a bit more, if not for the groaning sound they heard from the doorway.

"Merlin, you two! It's way too early to walk in on something like this."

Harry grinned and replied, "Good morning to you too, Ron. At least the two of us aren't missing any items of clothing, and we are vertical, unlike a certain _other_ couple I happened to walk in on yesterday in the broom shed." Ginny had dropped her feet back to the floor and let go of Harry, so she could turn in his arms and lean back against him, his arms still around her small waist. She was simply enjoying being held by the man she loved, as well as watching the bantering between him and her brother.

Ron's ears quickly turned an impressive shade of pink as he remembered the previous day. Hermione had berated him rather soundly for having forgotten the locking charm on the door to the shed, though he'd at least remembered the silencing charm. He quickly decided to cut his losses and change the subject. He looked towards the table, remembering what had originally brought him downstairs at this early hour.

"Hey, who made breakfast already? Something smells really good! Where's Mum?" He looked around, clearly confused at the dilemma of so much good food in sight and his mother nowhere to be found.

Harry rolled his eyes at his friend's obvious attempt at changing the topic of the conversation, but let it go for now. It would be as much fun to see the confusion that the explanation would bring.

"Actually, Ron, she's not up yet, so far as I know. I made it. I wanted to do something nice for a certain little spitfire." He gave Ginny's waist another squeeze and bent to lay a soft kiss on her neck, just behind her ear. Again came that interesting little noise, half squeak, half moan. She turned again and laid her hands on his chest as she looked intensely up into his emerald eyes.

"You are going to pay for doing that to me in front of my brother, you realize," came the low voice, pitched so that Ron wouldn't hear. "Just wait till I get you alone on the train." Her eyes gleamed as she said this, causing some rather interesting blood flow issues in the young wizard. Of course, Ron would have to interrupt again.

"If you two don't stop that, you may end up doing something that may cause me to lose my appetite."

A snort came from right behind the youngest Weasley male. "As if that would ever happen." Hermione gave him a kiss on the cheek as she walked past him, followed by the twins as well as Molly and Arthur. Everybody gave their morning greetings, Molly of course hugging everybody in sight before they all sat down to breakfast. The twins started to compliment their mum on the lovely meal, but she merely shook her head, letting them know that it wasn't her doing. Raised eyebrows prompted her to nod towards Harry, causing six heads to swivel toward him as one. Harry simply chuckled as he watched the byplay.

"So, Harry,"

"When did you become such a master-"

"Of the culinary arts?"

"And is it something-"

"That can be taught?"

Laughing, Harry replied, "Well, among other things, cooking and baking were skills learnt the hard way, by trial and error." He shrugged. "I've been doing it since I was tall enough to see the hob. Petunia is rather a bad cook, but I somehow became proficient at it, probably due to all the practice I've had over the years. I'm also rather good at gardening, as that was usually what they had me do after breakfast, when they didn't want to look at me." Bending back to his food, he didn't see the looks that went around the table. None of the people seated here were at all happy about the way Harry had been treated during his time with _those people._ Molly made a mental note to herself to discuss a bit of product testing with the twins later. She was sure that they would be sure to have a few _interesting_ new products that wouldn't go amiss in a certain household in Surrey.

* * *

At the same time, in a certain house on Privet Drive, a violent shiver traveled up Petunia Dursley's spine. Seeing no reason for the sudden cold feeling, she walked to the thermostat on the wall and pushed it up by a few degrees. For some reason, it seemed to have no effect.

* * *

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**_A/N:_** I'm very sorry that it has taken me so long to update this story. Since my last update (October of '04? Yikes! _:ducks the tons of rotten fruit thrown his way:_) I hope everybody has enjoyed reading this, as well as the other stories I've posted in the meantime. I have a couple of new stories I'm also working on right now, but this one is back to being the priority. I won't be so foolish this time as to attempt to say when the next update will be, but I will guarantee that the wait for the next chapter will be nowhere near as long.


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